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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Balance in 2021: April


What a fast month April has been! It's been a roller coaster of a month as well, with snow and summer-like temperatures and some crazy work stuff. Keeping Balance in mind has been so helpful as things got hectic, and balancing my work life with my non-work life has been particularly important, perhaps even more so given that my office is now at home.

Last week ended up being the kind of week that would have sent me into a full-blown meltdown in the past. I got hit with a big work project with a tight deadline. I had the mammogram call-back. I had a board meeting one evening. I had scheduled a day off on Friday to hang out with Rainbow that I considered canceling. But through it all, I remembered to keep things balanced. Though I did work a little late one evening (because our planned dinner did not require a lot of cooking time and thus I had the time to spare), but otherwise I stuck to my normal work schedule. I made sure to take my "lunch" break each day to go for a walk -- because I know that the daily physical activity is good not only for my long-term health but also for relieving my stress level. I took time each evening to knit or spin and read for pleasure so that I could switch my work brain off. And even when I was in full work mode, I made sure to take frequent breaks, even if it was just to go to the bathroom or throw in a load of laundry. You might think that this would draw things out, but in the end I finished the project before the end of the day on Thursday, I took off Friday as planned, and in general I felt less stress overall than I would have thought. Maybe I'm on to something here, don't you think?

I've also crossed three more things off my 21 in 2021 list. Although when I put "Try three new meatless recipes" on my list I was thinking mainly about dinner entrees, it occurred to me that I wasn't that specific and that a lot of the baking that Rainbow and I have been doing really does count. We've obviously tried a challah recipe and made it several times, we made the cookies for Passover, and I recently made my great-grandmother's noodle kugel recipe. I'm sure there will be more new recipes tried before the year is out, too. I also read a collection of poetry this month (and purchased another one that's now on my nightstand) and, just yesterday, finished reading one of the books that Rainbow is reading for school (but I'll be talking about that tomorrow).

Thanks to Carolyn for hosting us for these monthly One Little Word updates! I will be back tomorrow with a knitting and reading update.

8 comments:

  1. That's wonderful, Sarah! For me, the power of having "a word" at all . . . is in keeping it to the front of your brain . . . so you can make life choices that support whatever drew you TO that word in the first place. (If that made any sense at all. . . ) It sounds like you have found some very important elements/keys to prioritizing balance in your busy life! Bravo!!! XO

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  2. It's one thing to make balance your word, and another to truly put it in action like you have! Congratulations and I think you may indeed be on to something. :-)

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  3. What a great month, with the backdrop of balance! Sounds like you were able to put your word to seriously good use. I'd be curious how the month would have gone without a word? I think the practice, with any word, period, makes us so much more mindful to our needs... Hooray for April. (And noodle kugel!)

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  4. Sarah - great work putting your word into practice and ensuring you kept perspective. The mammogram situation alone would have been enough to throw most people off kilter! I'm so impressed you kept your wits and focused on what WORKS - staying calm and balanced.

    And nice work cruising through your 21 in 2021 list!

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  5. This is just so awesome, Sarah! I love the bit about having things to do to "turn your work brain off" Steve and I talked about that on vacation....he does not turn his work brain off, ever. And it is stressful for everyone. He asked me some time ago to teach him how to spin... I think this post has shown me that I need to make that a priority! Thank you for sharing your wonderful month!

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  6. Congratulations on keeping your balance this month - I'm so glad that everything didn't throw you off and that you could stick to the routines that work so well for you, I hope you're proud of that! (by the way, I also thing you are taking a very, very healthy path with the goal setting and -reaching, which is fantastic) Keep it up! :)

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  7. I love seeing Words become real, Sarah, and yours did in such a nice way this month. Also, kudos on the 21 in 21 list - surely you'll be done in June?!

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  8. Sounds like the 21 in 21 is going well. Well done on maintaining balance this past week. When I was teaching there were times when the home/work/family/healthy habits balance was quite tenuous. It can be daunting at times so give yourself a pat on the back.

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