Balance

Pacing Yourself to Achieve More

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Pacing Yourself for Smooth Sailing

It can be very easy to want to dive in and get everything taken care of so that it’s off our plates, or on the flip side, go into overwhelm and not do any of it. It can be tempting to ignore anything that feels like an obstacle, and just keep sailing on. Starting a project and getting a few things done can start chipping away and inspire you to continue. For example, I grew up in a family where we cleaned the house and did the laundry once a week. The dishes were always done after every meal. Papers were organized, and the garden was maintained to breathtaking beauty.

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Beating the Deep-Winter Blues

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ART - January Table

It begins with the stripping away of all the holiday trappings, usually on the first day of the year, but sometimes the following weekend. Red and green are packed away to be replaced with calming pastels – tranquil blues and creams – punctuated with bursts of color (turquoise, lime green, orange) that are like visual bubbles of delight. They lack the audacity of Valentine reds, purple, and pink, and aren’t quite as vivid as the colors of spring and summer, but they feel light and positive when compared to the muted light and bare trees outside.

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The Summer Solstice: A Time for Balance

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Summer Solstice

Balmy summer afternoons seem made for these quieter pursuits, a twist on the traditional siesta of the Latin world. I have strong memories of sharing the front porch with my grandmother on summer days, each of us with a glass of iced tea and a book, magazine, or crossword puzzle. I remember the feel of the condensation cooling my hand when I gripped my glass, and I remember the soft background noises that were ever present: cicadas, lawn sprinklers, small children playing, the occasional barking dog.

But I also remember that, as she got older, my grandmother grew to dread those long summer afternoons – especially Sunday afternoons. Part of this was just the life of an empty nester. Without young children in her home, she and my grandfather were disconnected from the daily events so often tied to the school year, and no longer lived by its rhythm.

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