Question of the Week: Question #33

Do you have a summer schedule, friends? You know, the sort of schedule that is a bit lighter and breezier, even though you may still work during the summer months? I think I’ve found it…my summer stride, that is. It’s a wonderful realization and feeling, actually. Have a question? I’d love to hear it, so feel free to email me (mellow1422 [at] aol) or ask me on Facebook or Twitter, friends! Today’s question is…

What does your summer stride look like?
You all know just how much I love routines, friends. And while it’s true that I’ve tried to relax things a bit this summer, it wasn’t until recently that I found my perfect summer stride — that “a-ha” moment when you find the perfect blend of maintaining your regular routine while also indulging in some summer whimsy. My summer stride? Well, it looks a bit like this: I work really hard in the morning, usually until lunchtime, and then I enjoy more relaxing afternoons.

A few ago, my mother asked, “Where is the summer going?” I told her, matter-of-factly like I always do, that it was up to her to take the time to relax before she heads back to work in the fall. It wasn’t up to me or up to my sister. No, no. It was all — entirely 100% — up to her. Because when you think about it, that’s really what the summer season is, isn’t it? Even if you don’t have the luxury of rearranging your schedule in an effort to slow down and re-group, it can still be a time for you. In fact, it’s all about you; perhaps the only season where you have permission to be a bit selfish with your time.

Selfish. I’m not sure I care for that word. In fact, I’ve always cringed when I hear people say, “I feel so selfish for not doing [insert activity here].”

Yes, there are times when being selfish is a bad thing. But aren’t there times when being selfish is a positive thing?
To that end, I made my own little to-do list. It wasn’t a list of things to do for something or for someone else. No, no. It was a list just for me. Shocking, isn’t it? A list devoted entirely to myself? Some people might even call it … selfish.

I’ll let you be the judge. Some of the items I included on my list:

• Relax at home, work at work. Translation: Do not bring the stress of work home, and don’t bring actual work home from work to do … it’ll still be on my desk in the morning.

• Watch something funny every evening. Laughter really does wash all that stress and tension away.

• Play Yahtzee – or a new favorite, Bananagrams – at least five times each week. A Peppermint Patty is also a requirement.

• Learn to lose the guilt when I use the word “no.” Don’t worry. It’s not a bad word. It won’t send me into societal banishment.

• Take care of myself physically and emotionally.
Because when you think about it, really think about it, aren’t you worth that much love to yourself? If you’re so quick to give to others, I say it’s time to give back to yourself. What’s on your to-do list? Or not-do list? xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It