What About Me??!!

First of all, let me note this is my first post of 2013.  May it be a wonderful year!
Since being out of the work force, I have really been trying to learn to take care of myself.  For over thirty years, my focus has been the caretaking of others.  I was married at nineteen and had my first child at age twenty.  Two more children were added at the age of twenty-four.  So from that time forward, I took care of a husband, home, children and worked full time.  At the age of thirty-four, I became a single parent which meant even more caretaking.  I remarried four years later and so continued the path.
My mother passed away in 1998 which left my father alone.  So you guessed it, from that time until his death 11 years later, he was taken under my wing.  My children left home, went to college and got married.  Now I have 4 grandchildren that I want to love and take care of. 
Well, I am making progress.  About 3 weeks ago, I decided to do yoga almost daily.  So far, I have been successful, and I feel much better.  My neck and shoulders have loosened a bit and aren't as  sore.  I feel more in touch with my body and mind.  My next step is to try to get started on a walking program.  I give myself permission to sleep when I feel like it and watch old movies if it's what I want to do.  Quite amazing how difficult it is for me to just be and enjoy life.  It seems to be imprinted on my heart and brain as a woman that I must care for others and put myself last.  This is most likely a combination of societal conditioning and evolutionary survival.  It's important to keep the men strong so they can work and keep the children alive so the species can go on.  However, if the woman doesn't take care of herself somehow, she won't be fit to take care of the rest.  It is a bit of a vicious cycle.
I am sure that my mother, grandmother and all the women before them did the same thing.  I would have to say that it's probable I have more freedom and time for myself than they did.
So here's to making 2013 the year of learning to take care of myself half as well as I seem to be able to care for others!
Thought for the day:  We are pain and what cures pain, both.  We are the sweet cool water and the jar that pours             Rumi