Things currently making me happy
Heavy Balloon by Tele Novella: Soundcloud Link
Zella high-waisted crop leggings
Weekends off with Josh. Seriously, nothing has made me happier than our schedule shift to working the same weekends this year. Definitely repeating in 2017.
Running in 79F with 93% humidity at 6am. This actually felt somewhat cool to me. I guess I am acclimated.
Hearing Cameron say “I go to LEGOLAND!” every 5 minutes with such joy and zest (we have a trip there coming up) despite the fact that there is no way he could know what that even means.
Olympics are coming. I wonder if the kids will have enough attention span to watch some of the sports with me.
The kids consistently sleeping past 7 am. They are definitely going to bed later (8:00 – 8:30 pm for Cameron, 9:00 pm last night for A who apparently “rested” at camp)
Things not making me happy
Politics
Mosquitos (and Zika) basically in my neighborhood. My heart goes out to anyone TTC right now in FL. The risks are probably low right now (though rising) but the stakes are so high; I am sure I would be really really anxious about it.
The Hottest Summer On Record (this fills me with despair and fear for the future, honestly.)
—————————————————————————————-
I have been doing some thinking about my goals, and fitting so much into a limited life/time frame. Despite the fact that resources truly are limited (no one has as many hours as they would like!), I am really trying to cultivate an abundance mindset — as opposed to scarcity — in several realms. Honesty, this is not my natural instinct. I always feel like I am running out of time, like I am behind schedule, like I am in desperate need of getting to the next thing. Some of this I think stems from really hating sleep deprivation. Some of it may be just my personality.
I have known a few individuals that have always treated me (and everyone else!) like they had all of the time in the world. Conversations with these people never feel rushed. They rarely come across as stressed and yet — in my experience — they are often shockingly (perhaps paradoxically?) productive and effective.
What abundance means to me:
(small and large examples)
– NOT hoarding things like notebooks – but actually using them 🙂
– Giving the kids extra time and attention when they need it.
– Being selective about food choices, because there will always be other delicious opportunities down the road (perhaps on an S day . . . )
– Giving patients extra time and attention when they need it. (This does have boundaries of course. I DO want to generally keep on schedule because I think it is unfair to later patients to run significantly late. But within each encounter, there is some wiggle room and sometimes I find myself afraid to use it.)
– Stocking up on things I know we will need (ummm diapers. wipes. will be a thrilling day when these no longer fit into this category)! I guess this is more tied to a financial sense of abundance. But the two are definitely linked.
– Taking time to do little things for me, like meditation and skincare and reading. It can be easy for me to frantically decide there just ISN’T ENOUGH time. Yet when I just do them, somehow it all works out.
– Saying yes to interesting experiences or important opportunities. And fun.
– Being generous with others: time in some cases, and tangible things in others.
I am definitely not always there yet with any of the above. But I know that I feel so much better when I lean this way.
6 Comments
I really like the concept of "abundance". I think its part of the whole "zen"/mindful idea of ENOUGH. I am enough, this moment is enough, what we have is enough. When I can be fully present in the moment, instead of thinking of the next thing on the agenda, I feel like I have more time and I do actually end up getting just as much done at the end of the day.
And I never considered how this would lead to more generosity. I definitely know what you mean about the people who seem to have all the time in the world for everyone. I am like you in that I feel like I’m always looking on to the next thing—the next patient on the schedule, the next chore on the list, the next mealtime, etc… I’ve always been this way, its definitely my personality, but I also think a change is possible.
Also…LEGOLAND! So fun! I don’t know if the one near you is as awesome as the other one, but we really loved it, it was perfect for younger kids and very manageable. I want to watch the olympics, too. I don’t know what my kids will think, but I’m trying to talk it up! B has started waking up earlier and earlier 🙁 I was up today since its a weekday, but I sort of expected to have time to myself, and there he was, at 6:30 AM asking 8 million questions ("where do grizzly bears live?" "where do black bears live" "polar bears?" "brown bears?" "do bears and lions ever live together" OMG). He goes to bed around 9. I think he is just needing less sleep these days. Considering I go to bed around 9:30 I don’t know what to do about this.
"- Being selective about food choices, because there will always be other delicious opportunities down the road (perhaps on an S day . . . )" – Ahh yes!! Often I want to eat certain foods because they’re available and delicious, but it’s not like they aren’t available most of the time! And when it turns into an often occurrence, obviously something is up, but it’s hard to control and say no.
I am grateful that you are conscious and aware enough to acknowledge the reality of climate change and what it means for our future. A rarity! Ultimately the two most impactful things we can do for future generations is to eat a plant-based diet (Cowspiracy is an informative documentary on Netflix that explains how animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change) as well as consider and encourage adoption as an ethical path to parenthood in a world over capacity, with limited resources. All the best!
This is totally unrelated to your post…. but was it you who recommended the Headspace App for meditation? If so, thank you! I tried it yesterday fro the first time and am going to try to keep it up!
Related to your post, politics are also making me deeply unhappy. I try to remind myself of the generous and loving people I have on my life (and the kind and thoughtful people whose blogs I read!) and that allows me to be more hopeful about the future. Let’s hope we can all hang in there.
UGH Politics – I’m so sick of all of it so I can definitely relate. I’m a newspaper reading, NPR listener and I’ve had to dramatically cut down on both because I just can’t anymore. November can’t come soon enough.