Headspace Studios. Hey, welcome to Radio Headspace.
It's Dora here.
When I started training for my first marathon,
I quickly realized how much preparation goes into running 26 miles.
It wasn't just about building up endurance,
it was about carefully thinking through all the tiny details that could support me along the way.
Things like carefully packing gels for energy,
curating the perfect playlist to lift my spirits,
and making sure my shoes wouldn't give me blisters halfway through the race.
What struck me was how much energy and care went into preventing problems before they even started.
I knew blisters were a possibility.
so I'd carefully tape and prepare my feet before every long run,
even though at the time they felt perfectly fine.
At first, it seemed overly cautious, tending to something that didn't hurt yet.
But eventually, I realized that gentle preparation was a deep form of care towards myself.
Now,
often we think that self-care kicks in only after we feel pain or find ourselves in crisis.
But real kindness, true self-care, actually begins much earlier,
in the quiet moments of thoughtful preparation, long before any discomfort sets in.
There's a beautiful Zen story about a gardener who was renowned