The last few weeks of my life have been all about settling into new routines, which is why I've disappeared for a few weeks from my blog space. One of the biggest changes that has create the need for these new routines has been starting a new job and one that is on-site vs. the remote work that I've been accustomed to for the better part of the last 10+ years.
Prior to staring my new job, I had to buy "work clothes" (including dress pans which I haven't had to wear for longer than I can remember). Then when the first week came, I had to set an earlier than usual alarm to be able to get up and do all my farm chores before leaving work for. After getting the horses settled in for the day, I had to grab a quick breakfast, get a shower, pick out something to wear, pack a lunch and DRIVE to work. So many changes! And as my routine changed, it also changed for my husband who works from home and for my dogs and horses who now have a new daily caretaker (and someone else to yell at when treats or hay are late to be handed out, lol).
For the first week, it seemed to take a great deal of brainpower to simply adjust to my new daily routine on top of all of the new things I was learning and new people I was meeting every day. Now entering my 4th week of this new routine, I'm finally getting into a daily rhythm of things. The "checklists" of things to remember to do aren't needed anymore and I am able to flow through the morning schedule much more naturally (a bit more on "autopilot" now, which can be a good and a bad thing).
However, what I've noticed in these last few weeks of working full days away from home and having added time taken up for a daily commute is what I've been GIVING UP in the midst of my "NEW BUSY" days. It's interesting to reflect on those moments when the "autopilot" kicks in and we get into our routines and become so busy with the "to-do's of life" to see what gets dropped or put on the backburner. I've been observing that closely over the past few weeks and I would guess it's the same things that many of you drop off your daily lists when things get busy in your lives.
So what have I observed that I've dropped? It's the ME time - the recharging, the self-care, the yoga, the meditation, the horseback riding, the sitting outside, the slowing down and being fully present and taking life in from time to time, even if just for a few minutes a day. In the midst of the hours of my days feeling "more limited," the "importance" of the DOING now suddenly seems to outweigh the importance of the BEING moments.
The GOOD NEWS is that I've built awareness over the past few years to better notice when these shifts occur so I don't completely disregard my own needs (the BEING moments). However, the truth is that I still have the same tendency as most people which is to put EVERYTHING and EVERYONE else first ahead of myself. The danger of doing that is that we are continuing to pour from our cup to fill others when there's nothing left in our cup. We can operate like this for short stints, but it's NOT sustainable to be our way of living and working 365 days a year.
So in complete honesty and transparency, it's time for me to begin reshifting things to fit more BEING moments back into my life. I hope you can take a few moments now to reflect on this and to notice if it's time for you to reshift things in YOUR life too.
I'll leave you with this reflection question...what are you noticing about how you're feeling, how you're navigating your day, etc. that might clue you in as to whether you've been prioritizing the DOING moments over the BEING moments in YOUR life lately too?
