No ladies volleyball tonight. The state of the art gym has a malfunction with the state of the art bleacher system. They won't close, which means three of the 6 courts are useless. This happens at least twice a year. I suppose the school is now 15 years old, and mechanicals do break. As much as I like my mid week outing, we were scheduled for the late game, which means no one really goes out after. I'm actually a bit relieved. Last weekend was anything but restful with two events, plus an impromptu "crisis" resolution for my mother in law on Saturday, plus the Renaissance Fair all day Sunday. We have plans of sorts this weekend, but other than the movie with DD1, nothing is on a hard core timeline. As I wrote a few days ago, we have two weekends with nothing at the end of October, and I am looking forward to a blank slate.
Anyone else get like that? My life is not so exciting and busy that I need to schedule in me time-that phrase irks me to no end anyway. I just have come to the realization that I like a good sleep in with no alarm clock on non work/school days. I like being able to binge watch a few episodes on Netflix, have a movie day, or read a book cover to cover without interruptions. While I am not there yet, perhaps once I get the minimalist vibe going in my home where my housework is down to just care and maintenance I can look forward to whole weekends of nothing? Perhaps not, but those blank calendar pages, and tonight's red X through volleyball on the calendar look pretty good to me right now.
A year ago at this time, I was dealing with a major health issue and surgery, which thankfully corrected, is seems so far, the issue. It was in that week, and the weeks after before I returned to my 60 hour work week that I knew a change needed to be made. I was getting up before 5:00, cramming any last work that was still lingering, or setting something up for when I got in the office. I would then be in the office, or about town in meetings from 8:00 until 5:00 or 5;30, followed by a long commute home, lugging additional work home most nights, starting up again about 9:00 until I collapsed with exhaustion. Weekends were better, but I found myself being e-mailed frequently, particularly the weekends after my boss had been out of the office, as her catch-up became my catch up. I changed jobs in March, and while I still have a completely crazy busy work day, it for the most part stays there. From 8:00-5:00, nine out of every 10 days in the pay period, I give it my all, and the remaining time is mine and my families.
However, I feel like I spent the first several months wondering what to do with those extra hours. I realized in hindsight, I was a bit of an adrenaline junky, getting my fix from the hurry hurry go go, and my mind wasn't yet making the change. I settled into appreciating more down time, more attention to hobbies, but I still was missing something. What I think I miss is the morning jump start that set my day in motion. While a year ago, the jump out of bed was forced to make sure one more load of laundry, three more e-mails, and a report were dealt with, I now have the luxury of using that same early morning time, that routine, to focus on my transition to the new day. I was doing this regularly this summer when participating in the Rise and Write facilitated at Out of the Writers Closet. I'd look for those prompts, reflect a few minutes, and dive in. It felt good, and it gave the spaces in my mind a tenant. While I may not write each morning, and those of you reading might be thinking, "thank you", I am reclaiming the 5:00 a.m. spot for me. Who else has dealt with major change in time, in a good way, and how did you reframe the way you shaped your days?
I too joined the Blogger United Federation as started by Sluggy and Sonya Ann and spent a blissful hour on Saturday reading blogs and following links. I always check out the blog rolls when a blogger resonates with me as I assume there is more to love with the next link. I came across a blog, specifically a page in a blog, that sums up perfectly what I am hoping for out of my life. Notes from the Frugal Trenches-downshifting is a really savvy essay sharing reasons why taking a good hard look at what all the over consumption, commercialism, and keeping up with the Jones's is costing many of us in personal life fulfillment. Taking a read through the comments, many from seven years ago, and it is like reading notes from myself.
I have very simple wants in life, and want to enjoy simple experiences in my own back yard and around the globe.Travel takes money, but I don't need expensive meals and crap souvenirs once I get there, and having a few friends over for a simple meal, drinks included, can be less than a typical drive through McDonald's for a family of four. And yet, I still find myself with crap in my grocery cart that we shouldn't be eating, a calendar that has optional activities that do not provide meaningful enjoyment, and trips to Target that too often include a receipt twice as long as it should have been due to unplanned or needed items coming home with me. Just yesterday a set of six Christmas cookie cutters, on clearance for $2.00 came home with me. I have a canister of cookie cutters already, and short of gingerbread boys, I haven't made cut out cookies in years.
I like the picture downshifting gives as opposed to the other phrase I've heard, downsizing. Downsizing implies getting or doing less, where downshifting says to me, intentional and deliberate choices in what we decide to get or do. Downsizing has connotations of job loss and mortgage foreclosure. Downshifting makes me think of a skilled race car driver, carefully correcting his course along the race route for an optimal finish.
I didn't get nearly as much done this weekend as I would have liked on the cleaning and organizing nature. I did however, spend some good time reading and learning from others. As for that calendar being filled with less than enjoyable things, I took a look and did some much needed editing.
