more of this/less of that

 

It seems pretty silly to observe that this summer has been markedly different than every other summer before it.  Duh.  But there are also some constants, thank God: swim team practice, school preparation, vacation, long walks, empty hours, board games. bickering, snuggling, stormy weather.  Maybe we had to wear masks on the pool deck and our usual vacation spots were noticeably depopulated, but we went to the pool and on vacation.  We stayed healthy.  We aren't scared.

In fact, anxiety is one feeling that has been blessedly absent from my normal emotional palette, with some rare exceptions (Like the time my husband was exposed to Covid.  I wasn't worried about getting it; I was worried about telling the someone that we'd possibly exposed they might catch it.  The test came back negative, so whew.)   I have been sleeping better at night and have been calmer and more patient during the day.  There is time for so much more than the usual rush, rush, rush.   

One of the priorities I made for myself back in March was physical activity, for which I finally had time after a mostly sedentary two decades.  We walked in the neighborhood cemetery as a family (no one there needed us to wear masks), and my daily walks slowly turned into runs.  It has been challenging to overcome comparing myself now as a 40+ lady to myself in college, when I was running the 10K cross country trail daily.  I have struggled with a little extra weight on my frame since weaning my littlest nursling two years ago; my joints are creaky and fragile.  It has taken me months to feel comfortable with running a solid 25 minutes--I'm trying not to keep track of mileage.  Adding a pilates routine has helped immensely with core strength and flexibility, especially when I've had to take a break from running due to injury.  I am trying to focus more on incorporating regular activity and less on how much it is.

In addition to that, I am trying to have a more/less attitude about food.  For years, I have tried food elimination and fad restrictions to achieve a level of comfort with my body--with occasional success, but frequent misery.  I'd begun to realize that a change in lifestyle and attitude was necessary to feel good about my figure when my sister recommended this book.  The leek soup weekend isn't for me, but the rest of the advice has been helpful: enjoy good food, not too much, all kinds; don't forget to drink water; get moving.  This approach to eating is far healthier (and fits better) to my current lifestyle than obsessively counting calories, weighing food, or reading ingredient labels.  It's a 'more of the good things, less of the unhealthy things type' of lifestyle.  Isn't that just common sense?

I've been thinking along the lines of more/less for other things as well.  More time reading, crafting, relating.  Less time on the internet (I deleted my Instagram account).  More time cleaning and tidying, less time loafing.  More time with friends who encourage the best, less time visiting spaces online that inspire envy or discontent or contempt.  

My prayer is that you, dear reader, find encouragement in this space, and that you can discover your balance of more/less, too.