Each Monday I share the previous week’s entry in my planner. My purpose is to think about how I’m using my time and ensure I’m making choices that match up with my overarching goals and values. I’m also seeking some semblance of balance, but that’s usually difficult to see over the span of just a week. This last one was focused on two of my favorite things: reading and knitting.
Yesterday screamed summer to me. The kids slept until nearly 8am (never happens!); we had a giant breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs; then we headed outside for a few hours of playing in rain puddles. We play in the puddles a lot in the Spring when the ice is melting and it’s cold, the air still feels winter-like and the puddles have an icy quality to them. But we haven’t had a chance to play in too many summer puddles because of the dry years we’ve had. It was nice to take advantage of the warm, muggy air and watch balls and frisbees plop and splash. It was a fun day!
And a lovely week. It marked the start of our new school year and was full of rain, books, and knitting – perfect for me. I kept trying to squeeze in a trip to the library, but we had colds and I didn’t want to spread around our germs. We made do with the books on our own shelves and managed just fine, but I’m looking forward to seeing our librarian today (and have a list of inter-library loan requests including The Summer Book, Studying with Miss Bishop, and The Arsonists’ City).
As for my streaks: this morning marked 471 days of journaling and 205 days of meditation. The thought of making it to 500 days of journaling makes my head spin, so I’m staying focused on one day at a time. Each morning gets me a step closer and I can’t rush it. I’ve been struggling to wake up with my typical 4:30 alarm, but reminding myself that I’ve nearly reached 500 days is a good motivator. Perhaps August will be easier for me. (August?! Is next month really August??)
I listened to the most recent episode of The Next Right Thing over the weekend – called Why Makers Struggle to Get Things Done and have been thinking about how I structure my day. I most definitely use a manager’s schedule because I simply don’t have blocks of free time at my disposal. I think in terms of checklists which I’m sure is common amongst us. I do, however, think of myself as a maker so it was interesting to ponder a different way of doing things. It was an excellent episode of The Next Right Thing and well worth the 17 minutes of listening time, especially since she quoted Wendell Berry which immediately makes everything worthwhile.
I hope to be back on Wednesday with an Unraveled post – and there’s been actual unraveling this weekend thanks to Knitting While Exhausted. I hope you all have an excellent start to your week!
The Cozy Burrow 
Oh, I so enjoyed The Summer Book! I had The Jane Austen Society come through this weekend! I am eager to start it!
A morning spent playing outdoors is just the best! Here is to an amazing week! 🙂
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Playing in puddles is so much more fun when you’re not shivering through it! I have no doubt at all that you will meet your 500-day journaling streak. By now, you’ve made it an effective habit, and I’m truly impressed.
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Yay for the journaling streak! You’re right – day by day is the way to approach it, I think. I’ve kept up meditation and affirmations for 84 days – I look at it as “daily maintenance,” as my therapist called it! It’s so important to have practices that make us feel whole and healthy, so we can try to be whole and healthy in our behavior to those we love. Kudos.
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I am curious how you are like the Jibun and wonder if you will stick with this format next year. I know a lot of planner folks are already considering their 2022 planner.
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The idea of splashing in puddles makes me smile … Holly cannot stand to get her little feet wet, so there is really no splashing when we’re out. My reading last week included Stranger Diaries, which I devoured in one day – LOVED it! and I’m next in line for the 2nd book at the library. Thank you so much for that recommendation. Emily’s podcast was so interesting for me – I used to be 100% manager time when I worked, and transitioning to more maker time was one of the biggest challenges of retirement. I kept wondering “what am I supposed to be Doing Now?” (hope your unraveling wasn’t too much … sure looks like you’ve been making great progress on Spark#2)
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