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Perhaps it’s the internal academic in me but the seasonal lines that blur as summer fades into fall always bring a renewed & welcomed jolt of energy. The crisp & breezy temperatures in the morning make my walks along the water a little more pleasant than the days of peak 100% humidity at 7am. And for whatever reason, the burst of “spring cleaning” energy (which I just do not get in the spring) rears its head as we prepare for the time of year where we’ll inevitably spend more time curled up indoors.
Last year on this day, I wrote about balance, which feels like the resounding theme of autumn itself; how the days & nights are becoming divided into equal portions. Truth be told, this particular season of my life has felt pretty unbalanced. I remind myself (as I’m reminding you, too) to find stillness amongst the chaos and that maybe, sometimes, we have to find the balance for ourselves.
Last week was trying, to say the least. I felt like the universe and I were in opposition. Remember the book Alexander and The No Good, Very Bad Day? It’s me. I was Alexander. All other factors were only compounded by the fact that a routine trip to my dentist for a cleaning, resulted in needing additional work (“genetically weak enamel,” they say) I was over it. Where was the balance and fresh autumn energy then? I was depleted. It felt like there was absolutely zero balance and I was determined to restore it on my own. I kicked off Sunday doing a few of my very favorite things to set the tone for the week. I couldn’t handle another doozy of a week so I woke up, walked to the farmer’s market to buy some fresh produce for the week (and a small danish of homemade monkey bread- very important), made coffee and streamed CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a Sunday staple in the Barnes household and truly something I look forward to on the weekends.
This season, I’m channeling my energy into the creating the balance and being busy. Not the busy that we all know & hate; the errands, the back-to-back-to-back (I have plenty of that) but keeping busy with things I deeply enjoy. I often realize the hobbies I love, or just time to be creative, get pushed to the back burner and this season I’m making a concerted effort to take back that time to be busy with the things I love doing. I’m working on a project that I’m excited to share about, I plan to spend more time creating content for the blog and frustrating myself on the golf course, etc. That’s my balance.
So as the days shorten and the chilly breeze sweeps through your open windows, I hope you take a little time to do something that inspires you. A hobby you haven’t picked up in a while? Bring it back. Been wanting to try something new? Do it. Schedule some time for yourself if you have to. If you think to yourself ” I wish I had more time for *thing*” make some time for it. I guess simply put, it’s the balance between work & play which we all deserve.
Cheers,
