GIVE ME 5 STARS: Sharing stories of Love, Loss, and Advocacy

Today we’re talking about something that sounds simple, almost cliché, but gets painfully real the moment life hits hard. You can’t truly take care of other people if you’re not taking care of yourself. And when I say “take care,” I mean the whole picture: your body, your mind, your emotions, your spirit. All of it.Yeah, because “self-care” has kind of been turned into bath bombs and cute quotes. But the real version is way less aesthetic. It’s boundaries. It’s rest. It’s medical care. It’s saying no. It’s therapy. It’s asking for help. It’s making the call you keep putting off.Exactly. And here’s the thing: every single one of us deserves the best care possible. Not the “good enough” care. Not the care that’s left over after everyone else has been handled. The best care. Because when you’re at your best, you can actually show up with your best.Let’s be honest, a lot of people feel guilty even thinking that way. Like, “Who am I to put myself first?” But if you’re exhausted, burnt out, scared, numb, running on fumes… what are you really giving to the people you love? You might be present, but you’re not available.And I want to connect it to something else too: urgency. Not panic. Urgency. Because you really do only live once. People joke about “yolo,” but at the core of it is this truth: life is short, and you don’t get guaranteed time. So why are we waiting to do the important things like our life is endless?Like telling someone you love them. Like taking the trip. Like going to the doctor. Like getting the second opinion. Like signing up for the program. Like leaving the situation that keeps shrinking you.Yes. Say it out loud. Let your husband or wife know what they mean to you. Don’t assume they already know. Don’t assume there will always be tomorrow to say the thing. Sometimes it’s the smallest gestures that carry the most weight.And I think people underestimate that. They think love is the big speech. The big anniversary gift. The grand public moment. But in real life, love is more like… did you bring me water when I forgot? Did you check on me when you noticed I went quiet? Did you hold my hand when things were scary?**It’s the little things that matter and mean the most. I remember he would make my lunch for me for work and put little love notes and sometimes $20 in there, it always made me smile. I loved having coffee and watching the news with him in the morning. My favorite is when he would send me a Venmo and say “you must be tired after working all day, take an Uber home.” I had everything I didn’t know I wanted. “I just want a simple, happy life with you.” We were both happy and content and he promised too always keep me safe, warm, happy and loved and he never let me down.That leads into the harder part of today’s episode. Because the idea of “taking care of yourself” and “taking care of your partner” gets complicated when outside forces step in. Especially family. Especially in a medical crisis. Especially when decisions get taken out of your hands and even though I had fought and advocated every day for our rights and for him to get better care, I felt that it wasn’t enough and I felt as though I had let him down.#BetheLIGHT #LoveConquersALL#MattySTRONG💪THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT 🙏