Week 1 Done. Am I a Sloth Already?
My intentions for Week 1, with no list but thoughts of the below:
- Wake up, get ready and get the day started. Even if that means you are just sitting at home.
- Try to write daily, (I.e. this little journal of mine), even if it is just a few sentences.
- Eat on the table, without distractions.
- Refrain switching on the TV until post lunch, and being able to turn it off instead of binging.
- Enjoy the naps, and look forward to everyday as it comes while being mindful of every experience.
Day 1 Monday, just without the blues. It felt great. The one advice a friend gave me was to not be lethargic and start my day early and shower first thing in the morning. My goal was to wake up by around 6a.m. and go to the gym or a run first thing since it has been over a 100 degrees consistently. But Monday morning was different. It felt like the universe opened up for me. I woke up to thunderstorms.
The soft rattle of the windows with rain drops falling on the roof at 6 in the morning had me pull the comforter tighter and bundle myself back into my dreams. My first day couldn’t have been better, I smiled as I drifted to sleep with my husband next to me, and three dogs cuddling around with all the warmth and little snores.
My husband left to work around 8:45a.m., and by then I had made us breakfast and lunch, and showered to get my day started. I cleaned the house, and ensured there were no dirty dishes lingering in the sink. The feeling of just everything being in its place and clean, was beautiful. I decided to cleanse my crystals once all the cleaning was done…
I then met up with my cousin for coffee by the lake, and we all ended up going out for dinner, and we were home by 9p.m. to wrap up the day.
Day 1 was great for multiple reasons — one, everyone reached out to me asking me how my first day went. Two, I actually did chores and chilled out. And three, I went to bed happy, because the house and the sink were sparkling clean.
Day 2 Tuesday, I decided to truly be a sloth and stayed home ALL day. I maintained the same morning routine — had lunch with my husband, napped in the afternoon, and chilled out rest of the evening.
Day 3 Happy Hump Day! It felt good, because I had a lunch meeting scheduled, and I had a Happy Hour (HH) with (ex) work folks. Since I work in media, I met with (media) vendors for lunch and subsequently for HH.
This day was interesting since it was the first time I was out with work/extended work people, since I quit and have been unemployed. They had a lot of questions — is it awesome? Did you get everything done on your list? what are your plans? Could you freelance? ….. the questions were endless, but my answers were brief — I am on a break. So yes, I eat well and nap. It felt so good just saying that and being content with it.
My husband used to always wrap up work and come home before I did so he got some down time by himself. When I quit, he told me this would be a luxury that he might miss, but did not belabor the point. I decided to stay out longer for this HH, to give him his time at home, since I knew this will not be frequent any more. He was thankful.
Day 4 Almost feels like a Friday! My (ex) work place always did volunteer events and I always participated everytime it was at the animal shelter. The volunteer coordiantor/admin at work had reached out to me on Facebook and asked if i would want to join them. I said yes, and I was up, ready and headed out at 9:30 to volunteer from 10–1 at Austin Humane Society. It was AMAZING.
We got to washing/bathing puppies who were less than 4months old, as well as adult dogs. Puppies were washed, swaddled in a towel after and held like a baby until they went back into their crate. Bigger dogs were dried and given a good brush down. It was honestly one of the most fun experiences I’ve had volunteering.
Rest of the afternoon was the same — lunch at home with the hubby, nap after he left, and tea in the evening with dinner before 8-ish p.m. Today felt like the week was winding down, and I was excited for Friday!
Day 5, Friday, and completion of Week 1! Back home, in India we celebrate goddess Lakshmi during this month on a Friday. It should’ve been done the friday before, but since it was my last (long) day at work and work friends, I decided to do it today. I started my day at 7a.m. practicing Carnatic (South Indian Classical music) vocals, and had my skype class at 8:30a.m. After that, I dived into making a nice big meal, and decorating the Goddess with saree-like attire and jewellery. She was so pretty, and I felt so happy to have done this properly for the first time since I moved here, and at my house.
I then went to help baby sit my cousin’s kids, which was fun. I went with them to see Wizard of Oz after, and then to an Indian movie with my husband. I got home late and went right to bed — feeling good that today was a Friday, and the weekend lies ahead.
Week 1 gave me a few insights to think and ponder about. Top three things from Week 1 are below!
- Money Can’t Buy Me Love:
When money is not a factor, the world is suddenly your Oyster and nothing seems impossible. Granted I am lucky to have an earning member in the family helping pay the bills. But I would’ve never thought that I could potentially trade work for yoga classes, or help babysit. I opened up to every possible opportunity driven by interest, not by the bills, and that was something entirely new to me. - Show Me the Money:
Contrary to the above, it has also something I have started being more mindful about. I’ve started keeping a true track of every penny spent, and realized how mindless we have been. My husband is a sucker for Starbucks — we realized that was almost $4 every visit, if not more with the munchies. Fundamental question we ask before every purchase now — Do I really need this? or, Can I cook at home today? … the answer is likely NO, and YES, and that has helped us curb our miscellaneous expenses, while of course not stopping ourselves from having fun! - When Food was all I had in front me, and Screens Far Away:
I started making it a habit to eat breakfast on the table, with no screens. Same with lunch. Dinner was more laid back for us, since we’d watch our favorite TV show, and I am not ready to change that yet… but eventually I am sure we will. With only food in front of me, I became more aware of how much I was eating, how long I was chewing, and how tasty (or not) the food was. I became more mindful with my food, and even though this week I have not really worked out (just walks with the dogs), I have lost two pounds. - So What Do You Do?:
I realized when we meet new people, the first thing we ask if what they do/where they work. When I went to the Indian movie with friends, I ended meeting a few of thier friends and we chatted for a long time after the movie, mostly about where all of us work and what we do. Luckily, no one asked me that question, because I had not thought about how I would answer it. Sure, it could be a simple, I’m in advertising, but am currently taking a break… or something on those lines. But I felt like I might be easily judged since I always took pride in the fact that I went to an office. I realized how wrong I’ve been to judge, and how I need to think about other things to talk about, because work is not all. - Lack of Schedule:
I am a planner. In life, at work, I am a planner. I need to know what I have next, what I should be doing, where I am going, if I’ve checked off my list. I took week 1 easily, and hence did not really have a list for anything. But I realized I was being lax in everything I did because I did not have a schedule and felt pretty lazy in everything I did. I did not end up writing everyday… So learning to week 2 onwards, is to have a schedule of atleast 2–3 things I should try to accomplish.
The weekend went by like a weekend, chilled out with the pups/taking them to adoption events, meeting friends, and Sleeping in — coz I did not do that through the week. Week 1 was lovely, and I look forward to Week 2, going in learning new things, and to learn new things, sipping through a good cup of coffee.
