Strike a balance between caring for self and being ‘Woman of the Year’I dropped in on the Rock County Women’s Expo 2006 Thursday in the basement of United Methodist Church, Luverne.I know — an event in a church basement doesn’t sound riveting, but it really is worth taking a little time to attend.There were chocolate samples, non-alcoholic drinks, massages, hair styling, nail treatments, health screenings and more for free. Plus, local businesses donate exciting door prizes.The idea is for women in the community to set aside time for themselves to pamper themselves.In fact, that was the topic of featured speaker, Karla Harmon, who spoke on "A Makeover of You."The point of her presentation is that women — who are accomplished multi-taskers — tend to take on too many responsibilities for their families, churches, neighbors, etc.The pressure to do too much with too little time takes a toll on us physically — causing tension headaches, high blood pressure, gastric problems and a compromised immune system.Harmon provided tips for recognizing anxiety and choosing appropriate responses when we start to fret about things we can’t change.Her overall point, though, was to prevent anxiety in the first place by making ourselves priorities in our busy schedules."If people think healthier, they act healthier and they actually are healthier," Harmon said."We may want to carve out an hour for ourselves, but our first thought is, ‘Nope. That’s selfish. There are other things I can do with my time.’ … But we need to value ourselves."It wasn’t information that was entirely new to me, but I took notes anyway because it all sounded so good and helpful.But I found it ironic that her speech came on the heels of presenting the 2006 Woman of Excellence, Ruth Rodgers.Nomination letters for the four women considered for the award included nice phrases like, "She’s always upbeat" and "She has a positive outlook." But by and large, the women were singled out for selfless volunteerism in their communities and various causes.I left the church basement that day with a box full of chocolates, notebook full of tips on caring for myself, and nomination letters for selfless women.As with most things in life, I thought it best to take them all in moderation. I hoped that Ruth finds time for herself amid all her volunteering, and I hope that those of us smart enough to find time for ourselves don’t forget there’s personal value in doing things for others.Congratulations to Ruth and to all the nominees for the award, and congratulations to the women who made time for themselves Thursday to attend the Expo.May we all find just the right balance between selfish and selfless living.