30 Days Ago I Started a Blog

30 days ago I wrote about my vacation wake up call.

As soon as I came back from a very rare opportunity to visit a warmer climate and have a full week off with nothing on my mind, I resorted back to an insane life.

That's slightly exagerated.  It was not totally insane but as soon as I got off the plane I was back to my hyperactive self.  As soon as the phone began to ring I was unraveling my calm brain trying to bend over backwards for who?  Myself I guess because I am generally an over-pleaser.  Then, I was completely exhausted the next day.

Enough of my complaining.  I saw such a dramatic change between the vacation me and the back to normal life me, I had to reclaim the vacation me and incorporate the vacation me into the everyday life.  I wanted to make daily living more than checking of a to do list and being the family taxi service.

I want to live like vacation.

That does not mean sit on the beach homeschooling my child and working some amazing home business that provide barrels of cash to my bank account.  That could be in the future, but does not sound realistic to me.

Right now I am taking small baby steps at living a less scrambled life that has more calm so I can be a better health care practitioner for my practice members and have enough energy left to be a fun mom and wife.

So, here I already see my big fault here.  I need to be an awesome wife and mother first.  Then, have some left over energy for my private practice.  How did I get so brainwashed?

Time to get un-brain-washed and live like vacation.

Yes, things need to get done.  I have to raise a young boy and help him become a decent grown up.  Yes, we have bills to pay so we are not a burden to others.  Yes, hubby and I need to have a life together that doesn't include work, bills, repairs, errands, babysitting, etc.

So a mind shift took place because I saw the different side of me while I was on vacation.  And I saw that side of me lost suddenly back in the weeds.

So, the mind-set shift continues.
The habits change.  In ways this is becoming a health makeover although I have not noted too much of that since the blog began.

Based on the principle of the domino effect.  Good habits have a ripple effect in multiple areas of life.

Anything that helps you reclaim your energy gives you better mileage.  So, these initial baby-steps are leading to other goals that are more far reaching than getting everyone out the door on time.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride with me.

Live Like Vacation Traits in Action

In my facebook feed I caught an article about Gregg Jarrett's return to the anchor chair after some embarrassing media moments last year. It really is a nice happy ending story to read about when when the news is filled with depressing tragedies.

Understandably, we are only seeing Mr. Jarrett big smile a year later.  We were not privy to the day to day struggles he had to overcome and that he continues to work on.  Living life is a process. He must still go to therapy and meetings.  Every day he is working on his health.

There are some good lessons here we can also relate to:

1.  What you do has a domino effect on others.  For Mr. Jarrett he was impacting his family in a negative manner for a while.  Now, he is going in the other direction.  His boss, Roger Ailes made some sacrifices himself as he stood by his employee and stayed with him during every step of his trials.  His actions, also had a domino effect on Mr. Jarrett, as well.  And Mr. Jarrett very graciously acknowledges Mr. Ailes commitment.  We can make our work joyful to ourselves and others.  Recognize Step #5 here?

2.  Your everyday health and long term health both need good daily habits.  You cannot put your health on autopilot.  You can never take your health for granted.  As a health care practitioner I must stress that the body works very profoundly balancing important metabolic processes.  While things seem to work automatically and your body bounces back pretty well after a splurge at the donut shop, nights drinking with friends, or weeks of staying up until 1 AM, the body will eventually buckle under the stress.  Mr. Jarrett demonstrates this and he is working hard on his daily habits.  Step #2 is here.

I'll let him tell you his side of the story here.  

How Do You Feel When You Wake Up?

When you first wake up in the morning you:

A)  Scream because the alarm clock noise scared you

B)  You hear the alarm clock and hit it the snooze button ten times because you just can imagine getting out of bed

C) Slap the alarm clock and roll out of bed because your joints are so stiff you feel as a bus ran over your bed while you slept

D) Stare clock as you wonder how you will get moving for the day

E) Get up and mope your way through the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen aching for the first caffeine hit out of the coffee maker

F) Roll over turn on the radio or TV to make sure the rest of the world is getting up with you

E) Open one eye to check how much light is peering through the window, stretch a little bit and lay there until the light is a little bit brighter, then ease out of bed

Do you have a morning ritual that prepares you mentally for the day?
ie. journal, Bible, catching up on the news....

Coming Soon.....The Principle of Wiggle Room

Just a little reminder to myself, so I can stay organized and on track.

I want to delve more into the principle of wiggle room.  It helps us with stay focused on our bigger goals.

So, be patient.  Thank you.

Does Step #3 Drive You Crazy?

Just wondering.

Because there are moments in my day when I feel like I am a robot getting things done that are so mundane.

That's step 3.

Here's a recap of the steps so far. (I introduced them in this prior post.)

1. Make a commitment to the Live-Like-Vacation  Lifestyle
2. Sleep at the same time every night
3. Systematize your daily activities/chores so they are out of the way, (then you will have more room for the bigger activities)

Here's #4 and #5 just FYI:
4. Knock out of your life the things that are unproductive
5. Make your work joyful for yourself and others

And then, coming soon, as I work through my LLV progress, I will add in steps that address financial wellness.

Can Step #3 be a real drain?
I believe the answer is "yes."  This is something we have to make peace with.
I can wake up and stroll into the kitchen and say to myself, here I am again making coffee, making breakfast, feeding the cats...

Day in an day out these chores are here waiting to get done.  Paying the bills, taking out the trash, laundry, etc.  What is there to feel good about?  It's drudgery.

But if you can systematize it.....Oh, boy.  That's another chore.

Well, if I go about it willy-nilly, I forget something like making son's lunch.  Then I have to scramble to get that done before he's late for school.  So, a system will prevent scrambling.

I do not like scrambling.  This is what makes me so grumpy in the first place wondering when I can have my next vacation.

Scrambling is what makes my practice members call me up in a panic because they need to get adjusted as soon as they can because all their stress sneaked up on them.

I also tend to scramble when I am at work.  I have to type up a notice for someone.  I have to get a claim ready to mail.  I have to be productive in between appointments before it's time to pick up son from school.  I have to set aside time to eat lunch before my brain crashes next to my feet.

I have to systematize my work day so I can be more attentive to my practice members when they need me the most.

You, whoever you are, need to systematize your work day so you can be your best for your customers, clients, students, and co-workers.  We deserve it from each other.

So, the daily chores go smoothly and give you more time for the important things, or we can just feel as if we are drowning in the annoyance of chores.

I guess we can look back at #1.  The commitment makes a difference in our mind-set.  We know there is a greater reward when the small details are worked out.

And then I will throw in #2.  An authentically restful sleep routine makes us much more efficient, and we can feel as if this part of our day is effortless and a warm up for the rest.

Get warmed up for the rest of the day.

How do you use Step #3 to your advantage.  Please share in the comments section.

Also, in a future post I will discuss the second part of step #3.  You see that part that is written in parentheses.  What are the bigger activities of the LLV lifestyle?

Good question......  See you soon.  

Weekends Are Made for Nothing

Okay, disclaimer here:  I know not everyone gets the weekend off.  Many workers get their time off during the week.  Many people work more than one job.  I remember those days when I did it, too.  I would have to fight tooth and nail to request time off on holidays so I could travel to my parents' house to actually spend time with family.

And most of the time our society has regulated the work week to forty hours providing extra compensation for the necessary overtime and folks have two days off each week.  Sometimes.....  I guess that's why I have a Live Like Vacation Blog.  Life has become complicated and we forgot how to rest.

Back to my topic:

Weekends are made for nothing.  Well, I just laughed out loud at myself typing this.  Saturday just went by and I complained all day to myself that this was the pits.

Thinking back to my week in Florida, we focused on nothing.  Our minds were clear of multitasking thoughts.  We sat around much of the time and we made spur of the moment decisions when we wanted to do something.

That doesn't seem to happen on the weekends.
Grr.....I'm still working on it.  I guess I have to tweak this and that's the point of the blog.  I can write about it here and make changes in my schedule.

Every weekend we do the major shopping trip.  I used to like it.  But. .. Here's a secret. I like going alone.  I like getting lost in my own little world of browsing and looking at new items I might want to try.  But Hubby and I have different likes and he is so much better at picking out meat and comparing meat prices.

Shopping is part of the errand/chore routine that occupies people's time off.  Then there is the lawn, yard work, and the extra cleaning to get the dust balls that we walked by all week in the hallway.  You know what I mean.

And son plays a sport.  Right now it's only one sport, whew.  I don't know what else he is interested in at this point, but we do CYO basketball and all the games are on Sunday.  Of course that's perfect.  An hour or so after church he plays a game and Sunday is the best time of the week.

And then there's the Sabbath practice.  We are commanded by God to keep holy the Sabbath.  We tend to get a little fuzzy on that when he cram so much in the weekend.

Since I am Catholic, I will refer to the catechism because it truly reflects the genius of God's commandment.  And, well, God knows what he's doing and it clearly makes sense as to what our needs are.

I pasted the section below and put it in bold.  Here are some quick bullet points:
1. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and Hallowed it:  So should we.
2. There is an irrevocable covenant with Israel regarding the release from bondage in Eygpt and God's trust that we would honor it.
3. Even God rested and was refreshed so what an important example it is for us. Should we be completely exhausted and wiped out during the time of rest, or should we look forward to it as a time of joyful reflection and recreation?
4. Christ declares the Sabbath for doing good, rather than harm. Do we sometimes warp the idea of "doing good?"  Do we over-do activities as we try to finish our work?  I admit, my work creeps in to the weekend and robs me of a fuller Sabbath.  It seems as if the Sabbath gets the minimum.

ARTICLE 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.⁹⁰The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.⁹¹

* I. THE SABBATH DAY

2168 The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."⁹²

2169 In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."⁹³

2170 Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."⁹⁴

2171 God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant.⁹⁵ The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.

2172 God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed."⁹⁶ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.⁹⁷

2173 The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.⁹⁸ He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath."⁹⁹ With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.¹⁰⁰ The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.¹⁰¹ "The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."¹⁰²

^{And a little farther down in the catechism this common sense practice is reiterated. Some very devout Christians will not even shop or go out on the Sabbath day because that forces others to also work.}

2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"¹²¹ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.¹²²

In short, the weekends should be made for nothing that distracts us from what is important in the bigger picture of life.  This idea can change or inspire how to conduct ourselves during our time off.

Again, this is another reminder that we can do all our work and play in a mindless manner, or we can be mindful.

The Problem of the Plate

Do you do so many things in one day that you are not feeling accomplished?  Do you just get by with a feeling of exhaustion as you run from one task to the next?

Are you cramming so much into your day that you make mistakes that are regretful?

Do you put out many fires in a life of chaos?

This is the theory of the plate.  You can keep pushing more things on to the plate until something on the other side slides off.  Just like the song On Top of Old Smokey, That meatball falls right on to the floor.

The saying is "I've got too much on my plate."  And we sure do not want things to fall off, like our precious relationships.

We can push things aside.  We can push aside things that take up too much time.  We don't want to push aside our family.

It's easy to say no to some things. I don't have time to attend every event I am invited to.  Many things just can't be done while I have a young child.  It's hard to say no to some people who really twist your arm about volunteering for something that you don't have time for, but it has to be done.

Some people may ask too much of you.  They want to be on your plate.
Be very careful.  You can't put it all on your plate.

Some people want to take control of your plate!   Ugh!

You can't live like vacation when your plate is ridiculously full.

If there are activities that make you feel grumpy, take a serious inventory and drop the ones that need to go.  If you argue with yourself about it, that's a sign that your life is too out of control.  If others will be disappointed....are you sure?  Or are you making that up in your mind?

It's a lot to think about but well worth it to decutter your life and slow down.

WHO LIVES FOR THE WEEKEND?

I do.  It's a big deal to me.  As a small business owner, I only close when there is a national holiday and of course the weekends.

Then I try to cram in chores and errands.  (Not always, and not happily)
Then there is a school activity or local event.  The day is done.  Then Sunday comes around and that day goes by sooooo fast.   Then the weekend's over.  Who's tired and resentful?

Who doesn't get Authentically Restful Sleep on the weekend because they break their Authentically Restful Sleep Routine.  ???????