A good habit of mine is taking the last two weeks of the year off. Any creative configuration of paid time off in my compensation package is on the table. This is the time where I reset to my baseline. My nervous system regulates, my chest releases tension, my shoulders descend from my ears. No one is demanding my attention to detail or ability to retain historic information. I simply exist in a naturally occurring state.
After the first couple days, 7-8 hours of sleep is the default. The average amount an adult needs for the body to rest and recover, per the Cleveland Clinic. With my nervous system out of “office mode”, my body demands stillness. Allowing my mind to slow down without guilt. I’m less tense, even as I try to avoid fretting as the days tick down. Four weeks of quiet would change my mind and body completely.
Every day is a joy, not just Friday afternoon to Sunday at 2:00 p.m. I can go anywhere or nowhere. Paint the ceiling or draw in a coloring book. Run my miles and nap on the couch. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. Unfortunately, the taste of freedom doesn’t last. Sirens blare from journal entries over the last three years. I lament the return to work and the cessation of peace. This is not the way.
Earning an income is required to house, feed, and clothe myself. The necessity is not in question. How I feel in the office environment is jarring. I need time and space to myself. Too many people in a non-social or non-communal environment is grating. Why are we on top of each other? Keep those workspaces neat and tidy regardless of inadequate storage space. Curiosity and meticulousness mistaken as operating like “a machine”. No more for me, just the check please.
I’ve decided to save the magic for myself. “Making it work” does not inspire action for improvement. I’m a slow burn, deliberate. Focus now and avoid future backtracking. Good results take time, focus, and discipline. “Fast paced, go getter” is not how I operate. This year, I accepted the seemingly selfish, unattainable, “who do you think you are” way that I am meant to live.
Waking naturally or with that nifty Hatch clock at 7:00 a.m. Please send sunshine even when it’s cloudy. I journal and read before exercising, showering, and dressing. Breakfast is more than a smoothie or toaster protein waffles. Balanced precariously on my backpack, work bag, and lunch box. I don’t need a breakfast buffet but at least a bowl of oatmeal or fruit and granola.
Writing rolls from 10:00 am to 3:00 in the afternoon. A reasonable and attainable block of focused time. Take an hour for admin items, emails and returned calls. The late afternoon into the evening takes on a new feel daily. Some evenings I cook replenishing dinner options. A random pull from the “to be read” pile, swipe colors across a canvas. Scan channels for a small screen adventure. Maintain my status as a regular at my favorite restaurant. Head to my second home, the pole studio or fellowship with friends. Balance is required.
I enjoy weekdays, they are more than a chasm between two-day breaks. Weekends are restful, no need to cram all my living into them. I have the energy and desire to venture outside and wander to my heart’s content. The pressure is off and I have more enjoyable days than not. I am happier. This is the life I’m building, the way I live. It’s not a fantasy; it’s a vision actualizing. See it and be it. Feel it and live it.
Living a Balanced Life
