My plan for the weekend was set, but like all plans, it changed when Mother Nature intervened. I took today off in order to have a four-day weekend at the Powder House with my newly retired hubby. We had planned on doing a whole lot of nothing—there is still a pandemic raging after all—except some puttering, a little painting and Al may have hit the slopes. We changed our plans when we heard about the coming storm. Good thing too. Parts of interstate 84 are almost shut down because of crashes and there are white out conditions in some places.

I briefly considered just canceling my day off and working. After all, I am as stuck as I would be any other day and having no meetings scheduled would have been a good opportunity to catch up on some projects. However, in the end I decided not to. Now present Teri is thanking past Teri for her decision to just rest. Or rest the way I like to rest which means writing, cleaning and cooking. So in spite of the weather and having my plans canceled, I’m looking forward to the break.

It’s been a good week. I’m really loving my planner and its emphasis on how I want to feel. It’s forcing me to slow down and integrate in a way that I haven’t before. Like most people who live long term with someone who’s very emotional, I learned to regard feelings with a mistrustful eye… after all, if they’re going to change in five minutes, why bother? But in doing so, I missed out on integrating my own emotions/intuition/intellect and physical body, which I believe is necessary for personal growth and actualization. So the planner is helping me to do that. I was dead on when I decided to put my mental health and emotional well-being first this year. It’s like the rudder on which the direction of the vessel depends.

The past couple of weeks have been kind of a litmus test as I fumble about and discover what is truly necessary for my own wellness. Two things stood out in stark relief—my writing and exercise. I prioritized both, making adjustments to my schedule to make space for those two things and the results have been promising. I am both calmer and more energized, which on the surface doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’m not questioning it. Devoting time to my craft and movement feels so very right. It’s been a long time, too long, since I have invested in either in any meaningful way.

I bought Scrivner and I am absolutely loving it so far. It’s very intuitive and it’s nice to have a place to keep all my scenes, chapters, character notes, and the oodles of research I’m doing. I’ve decided not to make word count or time goals and am instead making project goals. Start New Scene or Finish GMC’s for Primary Characters are goals that are specific enough to motivate without being stress inducing.

Last spring, I was running regularly after a long hiatus and got up to about two miles without stopping but then I started working on the Powder House, started a new job, etc., and things kind of fell apart. So I am back to C25k again and managed three runs before the snow came. I also did a nice yoga session which will have to do me for the weekend because it’s not going to warm up enough to hit the streets until Sunday afternoon. Yoga with a puppy has its own challenges, though, and it’s difficult to find the time when the puppy is asleep and the humans I live with aren’t in the living room. No ZEN there.

So I’m setting the intention that this weekend will be a nice long recoup… it may not be the weekend I originally envisioned, but it can still be a time for me to do the things I love to do, things that bring me peace and joy.  I wish you the same on this cold, snowy Friday.