Yesterday we came back home from our weekend away! We unloaded the cars, got the laundry going, took the youngest boys to their first day of summer swim team practice here in our neighborhood, and got some takeout. I hadn’t slept good the night before so I was coming home tired and with a gut that doesn’t always respond well to a weekend of eating out. All that fun and excess was worth it, but I know when I come home, I need to get myself back on track.
I slept hard last night. Isn’t it always great to get back in our own beds? I woke up knowing that my temptation would be to relax today, but have lived long enough to know that the best thing to do after a trip, whether short or long, is to get back into routines. When I got up, I went to the closet in my bathroom to get dressed and told myself not to leave the bathroom until I tidied. It took only 2-3 minutes and I felt better. A momentum shift. I came out to the bedroom and told myself, “Don’t leave and go downstairs. Take 10 minutes to make your bed, fold two loads of laundry and place anything that doesn’t belong in here neatly outside the room in the hallway.” It really did only take 10 minutes, and the difference made me feel a big soul exhale.
My husband brought me some hot tea and oatmeal, and I enjoyed my breakfast while listening to the Pray As You Go app. I briefly journaled, checked my calendar for the day, and helped a son prepare and review for a final exam. I went downstairs, rebooted the laundry, tidied the common living areas, and vacuumed and swept. My son took out the trash, put our suitcases and bags away, and returned some items we borrowed to family. I did a 30 minute Pilates routine, made a green smoothie, and made a dinner plan for tonight.
All my daily routines right back in place. I feel calmer, ready for a busy day tomorrow, and happier for having chosen “to do the things I need to do to feel the way I want to feel.” That’s a line from Robin Long of The Balanced Life, and it’s a mantra I keep telling myself. How do I want to feel? I want to feel good. Not a momentary feel-good like what you get from a quick dopamine hit from social media or from a bite of something sweet. I am talking about that deep-down feel good that happens when you feel aligned to your priorities and calling. Good health, meaningful connection with God, myself, and others, cultivating my family and home environment.
I have failed at this many times over the years, but I keep growing and keep trying. I am getting better and better at making wise choices, and it’s bearing fruit. I want to walk through this back half of my life knowing that I am living well, with focus, purpose, and intention. I want to invest in my health through consistent, nourishing routines so that I can give wholeheartedly to others. So I take the fun trips, disrupting my daily flow, knowing that the adventures give us sweet memories and familial happiness, but then I ground myself once again back into the restorative rhythms that lead me into a truly full and abundant life, right here right now, in my home.
It’s not easy to discipline myself, but it really does feel good.
Making choicves in our emotional lives is an ability we all have, but we seldom remember that and use it. Thanks!