Eleven Words

A Directive Turned Mantra

Lewis Howes posted the following on his Instagram at the beginning of last month:

We are given what we need when we need it. I believe this with my whole heart, and it especially works when we humble ourselves and ask for help. But I hadn’t specifically asked for help when I read this- just happened to see it as I was transitioning from the school year to summer. Recalibrating, which really is an entire mind/body/spirit process. Remembering that I’m not only a teacher, because sometimes we forget that when we’re in the thick of it. Refocusing on being a mom, auntie, daughter, sister, friend, writer, and hopefully someone of service to the greater good.

Sometimes, when we’re in that place of transition, we get bombarded by all of the shoulds. I should be cleaning and organizing the house. I should be traveling with my most important people to see the other most important people. I should be reading all of the books, and I mean all of them. There are an infinite number of shoulds, so reading those simple ten words felt like the answer to a prayer I’d forgotten to say.

Read. We’re definitely reading. The best of late was My Friends by Frederik Backman, and oh my goodness, this book! So engaging. So well-crafted. So complete. Satisfying in every way.

Walk. We set up a treadmill/standing desk combo, so walking is covered. Ann Patchett shared this pro tip in a Wirecutter article, and as she’s one of my top three authors of all time, we follow her lead with trust and resolve.

Eat. Food is fuel, adventure, and pleasure. Of course, we have this covered.

Build. Well, I did haul the boxes containing the standing desk and treadmill into the house all by myself, and put them together all by myself. I think that counts as building.

Write. Just typing that word induces joy! We write to think, we write to soothe, and we write to connect. The toughest part about this one has been building the daily habit. There’s that word “build” again- hmmm. I think we’ll be circling back to this one.

And finally, sleep. Sleep is hard, isn’t it? And it’s also everything.

The irony is that there’s nothing boring about any of those words. They’re the opposite- they’re dynamic. The only word I would add is this one: love.

Love the hell out of it all.

Be well :)