I'm still cruising along with my challenge. This is the quiet time in the middle - I'm almost to the half-way point! All is well. I'm in a contemplative state today - a quiet Sunday. I don't have wisdom to offer today, just quiet. And a photo from the swamp to match my calm yet subdued mood. Time to rest.
It's been raining here all day. I rather enjoy a rainy day when my plans for the day include a lot of writing and computer time. I finished my rebus drawing - the last three are symbols, but the rest make a sentence - do you get it?
And my grass time was on the porch today but I did walk out into the yard briefly to take a photo of a lavender Mexican petunia and put my feet in the grass. Later, I looked out the kitchen window and saw my turtle walking around in the rain - I suppose she doesn't mind the weather...
My rebus is about belief. About believing in luck, love and success. It's all possible. For me and for you. And on Day 12 I do have that belief, but I'm also dealing with the saboteur in my mind who wants to point out everything that I haven't done yet.
There's something sinister about making it twelve days in a challenge and still not having accomplished some of the bigger more complex tasks that have been on my list since day one. Granted, they are not part of the challenge. Maybe that's the problem! When I think about these projects I get a little panicky even though there's no external deadline for them or anyone who's being harmed except for me when I wake up at 5 a.m. and my saboteur brain hassles me about all the work I've been avoiding.
So what's the answer? I believe it's to chip away at the tasks. Pick one or two per day to work on. When I picture the tasks completed it feels so much better than when they're unfinished. Focusing on the feeling I'll have when they're done will help so much! And also reminding my saboteur brain of what we are accomplishing every day, and that we're not actually in a race, and we're not behind.
How does your saboteur brain derail you? What do you believe that helps you stick with a challenge or an obstacle?
A walk. Two visits to the grocery store, one rather impromptu, another a little more deliberate with the list (forgot soy milk the first time.) Picking up a chocolate bar, one with candied ginger, on store visit #2. Working with a lovely coaching client. An hour of drawing while I listened to a class - and took notes too! (My rebus is almost done - I'm going to save the reveal for tomorrow.) Celebrating with a dear friend who just got her coaching certification. Having tea and working on all kinds of computer and paper work with another dear friend. Yay for working at coffee shops! Buying figs and cherries at the grocery store. Coming home from the grocery chilled from the over-air conditioning. Filling the tub slowly while I sat on the porch and watched the rain during my ten minutes of quiet time. Stepping out into the grass with the cat in my arms (he would be thrilled if he never put his paws on the ground and we just carried him from place to place) and putting my bare feet in the wet grass while raindrops dripped gently from the pine tree. Coming back in the house and climbing into the tub with a glass of wine, the chocolate, a stack of inspirational reading, and a LUSH bubble bar. Enjoying the bath alone for a while, then sharing the bubbles and chocolate and wine and lovely (and lively!) conversation with my sweetheart. Being so grateful that he is the person who makes me laugh out loud the most. Roasting hot dogs and red peppers under the broiler. Having a summer "picnic" in the kitchen at 11 p.m. Frozen mango bars. Extreme self-care at its best. Simple indulgences are my favorite, and tiny extravagances, like these Duranta flowers coated with raindrops in the yard, make my heart smile the most.
What simple indulgences feel like extreme self-care to you? What have you been putting off indulging in because you're waiting to "deserve" it? What do you deserve, just for being you?
This is when I need to be careful. I did my grass time, my paper time (tossing more photos) and my art time - I would post the cardinals again but I didn't change it much and maybe made it a little muddier - alas! I'm actually excited about the new art piece I'm working on - it's another colorful whimsical project - a sort of rebus. I don't want to give it away yet, so here's a far away photo:
And here are beautiful plumbago flowers from the yard during grass time:
What I need to be careful about is what happens when I'm tired. Right now I'm kind of overriding my body (we do this SOO much in our culture!) I don't want to miss a day or miss a post so I'm showing up here, and that feels good, but I'm also tired. And my brain is listing all the things that I didn't do today instead of remembering the ones I did, because it's tired. It's feeding me a story about how since I'm tired this plan is not sustainable, especially since we didn't do everything we'd like to have done today. My brain has somehow forgotten the six assorted meetings and calls I had today, the amazing coaching with a fabulous client, the brunch with a dear old friend - the happy way the day went! It's just cranky and silly. So I'm going to fix my body some comfort food then put my tired mind to bed. All is well. The answer to tired, I'm finally learning, is rest. Not caffeine, not more tasks, not feeling bad, just plain old rest.
I'm typing this entry from my favorite coffee shop in New Orleans - Rue de la Course. I have all kinds of computer work to do, and so I've rewarded myself for sticking with this challenge by coming here to work - in fact I'm considering doing a tour of New Orleans coffee shops with wireless in the upcoming weeks - it really helps me keep focused when it's just me, a computer, a table, a glass of iced tea and a giant slice of almond buttercream cake! Yay! So, here's what's going on with my whimsical cardinals. Tomorrow I'll do some tweaking of things I'm not quite happy with and then start on something new. More birds? Cats? Abstracts? Not sure. But something with color. I like using all the colors in the box!
And here's my view during grass time today. It's impossible not to feel relaxed with this view!
So, how are you rewarding yourself? I know that just completing the challenge each day is a reward, but how else are you treating yourself and taking care of yourself or doing something fun?
