After ‘catching up’ on letters R and S, I thought for sure I’d hunker down and plow out the remaining letters of the AtoZ Challenge. Alas, here we are on April 30 – and I have an entire week of thoughts about self-care to crank out.

I hope to keep it short enough to make it consumable but profound enough to make the reading worthwhile. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you decide to finish up the T-Z with me:

T: Target

To target is to “select as anobject of attention or attack.”

What are you aiming for? What is your bulls-eye? Why do youdo what you do? Without a target, it is difficult to aim. To be sure, having atarget isn’t always about getting something done. Without a target, we are evenmore likely to wander or flail.

I think of choosing ‘to be’ rather than ‘to do’ as having atarget of attention, and when we want to accomplish something, we select anobject of ‘attack’. Sometimes life needs to be about getting NOTHING DONE andjust being. But if we don’t set that target, we’re likely to busy ourselves –perhaps with meaningless tasks because we don’t know HOW to relax.

For the “list happy, get-things-done” among us, perhapsmaking a target list of ‘attention’ rather than ‘attack’ is just what we needfor self-care.

U: Ululate

To ululate is to “howl or wail as an expression ofstrong emotion, typically grief”

In the AtoZ challenge, as wehit U, V, W, X, Y, Z, it can be difficult to find just the right word –especially when attempting to share thoughts on self-care. But when I cameacross this word – new to me – and difficult to roll off the tongue, I wasimmediately transported to my days living in Taiwan.

More than once, from mywindow or my roof, I overlooked the wailing of men and women dressed in white(which being from the U.S. were reminiscent of the horrific KKK) standing atthe front of a funeral procession. According to the locals I spoke with, acustom was to pay professional wailers to attend the funeral to express thegrief of the family and friends left behind.

That experience, and the many funeral services I’ve attendedfor family and friends, has convinced me that sometimes the only way to expressour pain is to howl or wail.

But I also believe with all my soul, that outside of the griefof death, many of us carry sharp grief -- from the loss of a dream, arelationship, a sense of who we thought we were. But rather than ululate – we suffocateour feelings, trying to be strong and to move on.

Let yourself grief the losses you feel – no matter how minoryou think they may be.

Please ULULATE before it is too late!

V: Vitiate

To vitiate is to “spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of” something.

I think of how we often treat our bodies, minds, and spirits –impairing the quality – of our lives, our relationships, and ourselves. Whathave you done to vitiate your body, mind, or spirit?

Don’t vitiate!

W: Wake Up

Wake Up – Are you ‘woke’? – About your health? Social issues– racism, misogyny, able-ism? Perhaps you can give a listen to Teddy Pendergrass:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyAuATJXc14

X: Xenograft

To xenograft is to “obtain from a member of one species and transplant it to a member of another species.”

The prefix "xeno-"means foreign. It comes from the Greek word "xenos" meaning stranger,guest, or host.

What does this have to dowith self-care?

While xenograft is a medicalterm that focuses on grafting tissue, I suggest that we consider ‘xenografting’more figuratively.

What can we do to introducenew and ‘foreign’ activities or ideas into our lives.

Have you ever picked up afood you’ve never eaten – perhaps from a foreign land – and tried it? Do you tryto learn about different cultural customs or languages or political beliefsthat are foreign to you?

Have you ever practiced aritual from another religious or spiritual practice?  

Perhaps we don’t want to makethem our own, but is it horrible to understand or experience that which is ‘foreign’?

Y: Yield

To yield is to “produce or provide” – or to “give way to”

Body: I often think of yielding to the limitations of mybody as I age. I cannot do what I used to do – and that’s okay. But I alsoknow, that when I offer my body the best nutrients and sleep and exercise, mybody ‘yields’ fruit – more energy and action. More ability to continue to gift theworld in some small way.

Mind: What do you feed your mind – and what does it producefor you, your family, and the world? When do you need to ‘give way’ in anargument?

Spirit: Have you cultivated the soil of your soul – to invigorateyour spirit?

Z: Zinc

I was delighted to discoverthat, surprisingly, Zinc is a verb – which means ‘to treat or coat with zinc –to galvanize’.

In handling my light-skintendency toward pre-cancer conditions, I’ve learned that zinc is the bestoption for sunscreen. So now, I galvanize my face each morning – protecting itfrom sun damage.

But we can also consider howwe ‘zinc’ our thoughts and emotions. What helps to ‘zinc’ our thoughts andemotions from that which could cause ‘rust’ and corrosion?

Meditation? Exercise? Sleep? Coffeewith a friend? Cuddling with a loved one? Repeating positive affirmations? Agood walk or run? Sitting on the beach?