Care of the Self, Body and Soul
Over New Year's Eve and through today, I tested myself in a variety of ways on a sea kayaking trip to numerous, uninhabited islands in the Bahamas. It was challanging at times physically and even spiritually at moments. One of my passions in this world is humanity's interconnectivity and relationship to nature and for lack of a better word, creation. Nod to Steven Bouma-Prediger. It was an trip designed by Columbia Theological Seminary on Ecological Ethics. However, before I go into any posts about what I learned or what was affirmed / reinforced, I want to be real about the care of the self. As most of you know, I am an outdoorsy person who enjoys the water, the sun and all things camping. However, this journey taught me about the balance of nurturing our bodies as well, which was unexpected for me.
I take care of my skin, eat well, wear sunscreen, and strive to care for my body with all things organic (lotions, oils, herbs, etc). When camping for a week with no showers, the simplicity and lack of rituals are usually liberating for a time, especially when carrying only necessities in a kayak. Yet, out of all the sun, the sand, the paddling in a 20 mph head wind, in waves and against the current, the thing that ravaged my body were the sand flies! Aka in Florida as no-see-ums. While normally I relish in getting away from mirrors and living life in the sand (every crevice), I became the biting tool for every fly in a 5 mile radius. For those of you that do not have the pleasure of getting one of these itch-for-an-entire-week bite, it is like they are the ghosts in the sand. My whole life I have been the one to get all the mosquitos while everyone else is sipping their iced tea and wondering why I am drawing blood and swelling like a two day old, dead armidillo in the Tejas sun. No bug spray, lotion or liquid has ever worked...not organics, not insecticide, not even the give-me-cancer-in-no-time, full DEET even works.
On the back end of my trip I added a day at the resort beforehand to sip pina coladas and relax before my trek back to the grind. However, my last day was spent scratching and suffering in relentless pain. My whole body! So I have posted a picture of what one leg looks like, albeit intensely swollen and scabby.
So why all the whining you must say? Sea kayaking in the Bahamas and you got some bites? So what? Well, as I said before the overwhelming joys and benefits will be posted with theological reflections to come. However, this post is ultimately about the care of the self. The trip itself was for the care of the soul...but what I learned about the care of the self was invaluable.
I talked to a local yesterday that told me the only thing that worked to prevent sand fly bites was raw shea butter. Three applications, morning, noon and right before dusk. No mixtures, no lotions, just the butter. Being that I am an organic butter fool and visualizing the 1 lb. jar in my house I use for lotions that I got at Mountain Rose Herbs, I thought to myself, "Why had I not known this?" So for the last week, while having a mountian top highs, I also have experienced my lows. After 2 days of traveling to get home, I set up a ritual to care for my raw and damaged skin. I lit some candles, drew a hot bath and added 2 cups of Epsom salt and 1 cup of 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide, put my hair up and soaked for 25 minutes. The salt disinfected all the scabs and it was not an all together relaxing bath, but a healing one. After this I dried off, turned on the chenille, electric blanket my mom bought me for my birthday to sit on and opened the jar of unrefined, organic shea butter, I slowly massaged the non-greasy, healing manna from God into my ravished skin. I have not itched yet. My skin drank it up. Then I made a cup of basil tea with wildflower honey in my favorite handpainted tea cup and saucer, sat down with two shortbread cookies and am about to watch an episode of Madame Secretary while snuggling with my two dogs.
Life sometimes is about getting away from our comforts, back to nature and simplifying our life. And sometimes that same journey can usher us in, back to the care of the self, back to nourishing our body, back to home.
