I read an article two weeks or so ago about self-care and how it isn’t about a manicure or pedicure or a bubble bath. How real self-care is about getting yourself to the doctor, dentist, making a budget and sticking to it, and all manner of adult things that make our lives run smoothly.

I feel like much of my life is self-care (not overlooking my husband’s role in my care). I have to eat at a certain time for my medication to work. I have to watch my food intake, so I don’t gain too much more weight. I have to watch my sugar, so I don’t develop diabetes. I have to get my blood pressure checked regularly. I have to keep my weight down because of high cholesterol. All of these things are side effects of my medication, and there is more – checking my liver for damage, etc.

There are things about being an adult that brings me a sense of comfort, stability, and pleasure. The same type of feeling that is used most commonly when people talk about self-care, but with what I am referring to it fits more under the way the author of that article meant self-care. One of those things is grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping. My husband and I usually go to the store once per week, sometimes we make a list and sometimes we just wing it.

I love picking out my food for the week and stocking up on things we use regularly. I also like to buy myself treats. This time of year, tea is a big thing for me. During the spring and summer I don’t drink tea after dinner, but during the fall and winter, I drink it almost every night.

When we get home, and we have 24 rolls of toilet paper, twelve rolls of paper towels, a pound of coffee, a few boxes of my favorite cereal, and all the fruits and veggies and cheese we will eat for a week, I feel secure. I feel comfortable. I feel safe. Yes, I even feel happy.  (We don’t use that much toilet paper or paper towels in a week, but when we buy them we get enough for a long time.)

Finding the little things in life that contribute to my well-being is important. Knowing that I feel the best with a full refrigerator, full pantry and full cupboards mean I will make an effort to go grocery shopping once a week. The same is true of my medications. When I have one to two weeks left of medication, I order it from the pharmacy. I never want to create a feeling of panic or an emergency over a lack of medication.

I know these things are simple, but not all of our treatment or those things that keep us well have to be super complicated.

I’m into the little things. I am. Those little things add up to mountains (and little things can be both positive or negative), and I for one want to be prepared for the terrain.