Me First. Self-Care in Scrapbook Form.

Stories come in all shapes and sizes. They aren't necessarily the who, what, where, when and why of a specific event. A story happens when you gather up a bunch of little bits of information and string them together with some sort of narrative. That narrative can be linear (telling a story in chronological order for example) or that narrative can break from that straight path and choose to tell a story in a different way. Some stories are better suited to be told in a non-linear fashion -- stories that are more vague, stories that don't necessarily start or end in a specific time and place.

The story I'm telling in the album below is about me. It's the story about how I chose to put myself first, and that by choosing to put myself first -- I'm not only doing what's best for me right now, I'm doing what's best for me in the future and for everyone else around me. I can only serve others if I've first taken care of my own needs. It's not very interesting as a linear story -- I didn't exactly wake up one morning with a lightbulb over my head and come to this realization. It was a story that grew over time, a story that weaved its way into my life, and so I'm choosing to tell it using the theme FIRST (putting myself FIRST).

By starting with the theme, I was able to draw out a few more interesting anecdotes about the story than I would if I were telling it in a straight line from start to finish. It was easier to be introspective with myself. It was easier to include pages with more poetic language. It was easier to be free with the words and thoughts that I was feeling, because I knew it would all tie back together through the theme.

Putting together the album: As luck would have it, the amazing Ali Edwards recent Story Kit featured the theme FIRST. Using the Ali Edwards kit and the Basically Bare Mixed Media Card Set, I put together the following album.

Now, I'll be honest, this is not the most beautiful mini-album I've ever created. I messed up my handwriting in a bunch of places, I didn't have all the correct photographs, and I feel like there's probably more that I could have wrote. But, that being said -- I LOVE this album. I love the way it makes me feel. I love that I can use scrapbooking as a form of self care. I love I can document my self care. I love that all of this makes me better. It makes me a better person, it makes me a better storyteller, it makes me a better teacher and writer and lover and friend.

Thanks for letting me share this with you today.