“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

This week hasn’t felt very productive and that makes me antsy. But this morning I read an instagram post from a friend who wrote that when she starts feeling like her worth is tied to her work, she steps back and re-states her personal definition of success. After doing that for myself I realized that while I haven’t felt “productive,” I have actually had a really successful week. And here’s why…

1. Visiting with a close friend. Over the summer, a friend and I would take weekly walks on Monday mornings. We had to stop when she went back to work (she’s a teacher). So I see her less frequently now and we have to be intentional about scheduling time. Last night I was able to go to her house and just sit and chat for a couple hours. It was lovely.
2. Snuggling with my pets. With the weather getting colder, everyone in the house is feeling a lot snugglier than usual. So pretty much any time I sit on the couch I end up with a dog next to me or a cat in my lap. Loving these little beasts and having them love me in return feels like I’m doing life right.
3. Writing. At this point it is very unlikely that I will hit my goal of 90,000 words written by the end of the year, which feels like a failure. However, I’ve recently been going back and rewriting parts of the beginning of the book that are more in line with where I see things going and it’s making my writing sessions much more successful in terms of creative flow. In this case, letting go of my quantitative goal is leading to better quality.
4. Morning routine. While I might never have two mornings that look exactly the same, this week I’ve been able to get the each of following things done every morning – meditate, journal, eat breakfast, walk the dog, shower, get dressed. Sometimes I also write in the morning, one day I had a doctor’s appt, and some mornings I linger a little longer on the couch with my second cup of coffee. So my routine is less a rigid timeline and more a series of activities that make me feel grounded and ready for the rest of the day.
5. Boring adult stuff. The past couple weeks I done a few things that aren’t really the “spark joy” kinds of activities but that I know are going to benefit me long term. Last week I got a root canal on a damaged front tooth that has been discolored for many years. They did internal bleaching and now it looks like nothing every happened! Don’t know why I didn’t do it years ago but glad to have it done now. I also did some work to consolidate some old retirement and HSA accounts. Very excited to have it all in one place and not have to use the Forgot Username/Password button on multiple sites to keep track of things! And last but not least…after a few months of our trash can lid being broken, I finally ordered a new one and it’s getting swapped out today! Woohoo!