
During the pandemic I started weekly events called “Leigh Day” in which I would only do things nurturing to my body, mind and soul. Here are some things I’ll be doing during the upcoming Leigh Day (date tba).
When I was a kid my grandma promised she’d take me to a spa. Being young and more interested in rough and tumble games, I wasn’t very excited by this but did stop to think it might be something I’d grow to be interested in. By the time I was 12, my beloved Grandma had succumbed to cancer. So now I’m 28 but I’ve never been to a spa. But my mom did get me an awesome Christmas gift at the local spa where I could get two beauty treatments. I’ve chosen the deep tissue massage and Himalayan salt scrub.
I want to take a bubble bath in a bathroom, dark except for a glittering candle. I close my eyes and listen to Charlotte Dobre and all the petty drama she reports on (it’s addicting). I will use the lavender soap my cousins gave me for my birthday that smells probably close to heaven. When I get out and pat myself dry I will change into my Winnie the Onesie and feel like a soft little bear.
Write a letter to God. For the record, I don’t just write letters to God when I’m doing Leigh Night. I do it anytime I feel like I need help or I’m overwhelmed with gratitude (or both). But I find after a calming bath I have a more direct pipeline to the Lord. I once wrote a poem that’s called “I Pray In Bathtubs and On HIghways” (thats true). On some Leigh Nights I will even do some Bible reading (I keep a copy in my room).
Nurture my mind. This means I do some reading on something I am unfamiliar with. I really want to get a book on freelance writing and writing articles because I definitely need to learn more about writing them if I’m going to be successful.
I do some journal writing. I mean, of course I do. How could it be a Leigh Night without journaling? I have a lot of guided journals and I take even more out of the library and fill them out in composition notebooks. I’m big on composition notebooks but everyone gives me beautiful bejeweled intricate journals as gifts. I’m not complaining but they are a little intimidating to write in. What if my writing isn’t worthy? What if I change my mind?
Draft three poems. At this point in the night, I usually am very introspective, possibly emotional. It is the perfect time to write a genuine poem. I find if you are forcing a poem, it’s not going anywhere. But at this point you have so many thoughts and memories and emotions, there’s got to be a poem somewhere, you can usually find it without digging very deep. You will be surprised at what you unearth. And of course these are just drafts so they might not even be good. They might just be a framework to be improved on. And I said “three” not one because this way you don’t force it concentrating on only one. I’m very big on not “forcing it”.
Write letters to your family. Most of my family lives with me in the Northeast but I have cousins scattered to Florida, Arizona and California (quick prayer. Those fires are raging). I particularly like to communicate with my cousin Kathy and her daughter Amanda. Now that my cousin Mary-Kate is stationed in Poland (she’s in the army) I thought she might like a card too.
Write a letter to yourself. You could write on it “Open a week/month/year from now” and then honor it and don’t open it a moment sooner. You want it to be words of encouragement for your future self, drawing on experience from the present. If you are this strong, graceful and compassionate now imagine how amazing your future self will be!
End the night reading aloud to your mom. This isn’t a Leigh Winters NIght thing. I do this every night. Then she scratches my back until I fall asleep. Obviously this isn’t an option for everyone. But you could read to your partner, your sibling, your children. In fact please read to your children. It’s very important to their intellectual development and promotes bonding.
Leigh Winters Night is over. I could write you a prescription for your own night to yourself. I recommend no more than once a week and no less than once a month. So why not try it out? Let me know in the comments below!
Comments