In January, I wrote about the focus word I’d chosen to help guide my decision making this year. My chosen word – nurture – has already manifested itself in many ways so far.
There’s always work to be done on the personal side of things – keeping in touch with good friends and close family – but it’s definitely getting there, and choosing “nurture” has helped me weed out unnecessary chores and draining relationships.
This also means more offline time. More family time. More balanced, better prioritized life.
Right now though, the days just seem to run right into each other. Tasks flow and morph into the next making the whole day one long break-less routine, and we still haven’t established a good routine yet with baby on-board. Mostly because we’ve been blessed with a pretty good and patient child who only fusses when she’s tired and hungry, and she’s been able to merge seamlessly into ours.
Yet we know she deserves her own routine. And we’ll get there someday.
But right now, we’re nurturing her curiosity. Her exploration of her little one-foot radius.
The way she perks up at the sound of any rustling – packets of chocolate, granola bars, bags of chips – almost diet-vigilante-sque in her attention.
Her wide smile that makes her face almost a perfect circle.
Her contagious giggles followed by a high-pitched shrill.
Her discovery of and now infatuation with Pocoyo, a cartoon character that looks just like her.
The way she wins every stare-down, wobbles along prematurely on feet that are trying to walk before they should, mumbles half-sentences and waits patiently for us to decipher…My husband and I are so grateful and voice it every single day.
How am I personally nurturing myself through all this?
Well, my husband and I looked at each other, decided we both love food too much to diet, and just joined a local gym. So I’ve been going back to the gym in between it all. Not necessarily for vanity reasons otherwise I’d have done it years ago, working my body into this.
But that time; that walk to and fro, those 50-60 minutes of bending, stretching, twisting, tensing, pulsing, grapevines, pulling, pushing, panting, breathlessness.
Those are mine.
@JoAnna – Choosing those focus words instead have helped relieve undue pressure that lists seem to impart. It’s been a crazy balancing act this year and I’m hopefully inching towards really good balance between work and personal.
I love your idea of choosing a focus keyword each year. I might consider doing something similar next year. And, I’m glad to hear that you’ve taken the time to follow through on your word, especially given the fact that you’re still a new mom.