Dearest readers– After three weeks of relative silence, I’m back. I’m so sorry I went dark on you, though some of you may have had a peek behind the scenes via Instagram or followed my travels on Facebook.
By way of explanation, March was…A MONTH. There were the planned herding adults events and other such spring break fun, and then there was the unplanned. In addition to four airplane trips in two weeks (planned and predictable—and one trip was for fun–but still intense), three other things added to the pressure:
- The flu. Being from rural Maine and all, I kind of thought the flu was some exaggerated cold that people made up. Ummm. . . I was wrong. I was literally taken down for almost four days with a 102 fever and other terrible and unsavory symptoms. The flu is LEGIT. And I hope to never have it again.
- Unexpected childcare shift. As my fellow working parents can attest, childcare is the backbone and lifeline of any working parent household. The unexpected childcare change created an additional 15 hours of work in a single week. Not the easiest thing to squeeze in, but certainly a priority.
- More extra activities than usual. March came with a Girl Scouts meeting, an evening concert at my son’s school, and a few other invitations that broke the Maia-camel’s back. I tend to avoid scheduling weeknight events or activities, but these were ones I couldn’t control or reschedule.
I’m starting to realize perhaps the universe is sending me a slowdown signal each spring. After a back injury and a faceoff with suburban shrubbery in May 2015, I wrote about reacting to setbacks. My lessons learned still hold true, and here’s what I’ll add this year:
- Anticipate the busy. I knew, knew, KNEW that this spring would be a bit chaotic. I even blocked out some extra planning and catch-up times to accommodate. But the truth is I still overscheduled in a way I usually do not. Note to self: Look ahead and see when those busy times are coming; carefully start cancelling, rescheduling or delaying some of your commitments.
- Make self-care a top priority. Because my day job of training/riding airplanes/writing for long periods is relatively demanding and germ-prone, I need to continue to prioritize my physical health.
- Lower my standards. This is semi-connected to what I wrote last spring about being extra kind to myself, but takes it a step further. This means I lived with multiple unpacked suitcases, mounds and mounds of laundry, and a seriously messy house for quite some time. And it was all okay.
Do you see any busy periods coming up? How can you buffer yourself?
