We are back home in Massachusetts. I thought traveling east to west was supposed to be easier, in terms of jet lag. I’m not sure I am finding that to be my experience.
Maybe waking up at 2am and not falling back to sleep could be attributed to the “back to reality” perspective that has taken hold in my brain. I can feel myself mentally digging in my heels, not wanting to deal with the issues that have come up while we were away.
So, here I am, needing to mediate a conversation between my bank and Google about an automatic payment that somehow won’t go through, trying to get my son on a soccer team at his level, catching up on volunteer work that has been sitting idle, running to the store for school supplies and then returning to the same store to get birthday gifts for upcoming parties.
There’s nothing particularly unusual about this sort of re-entry or the grumbling that goes along with it. But what occurred to me over the weekend, as I lay in bed awake, is that I can choose to take on the grumbling “back to reality” perspective or I can choose a different one.
So, in this moment, I ask myself, “What else? What else have I found to be true in coming home?” And I can’t help but think of the warm and affectionate response of the cats, who are so happy to have us back. I remember the hand-made “Welcome Home” banner strung up on our porch by our friends.
I think of waking up our first day back, after a 23 hour day the day before, realizing the fridge was empty and still able to pull off a delicious breakfast of potatoes and eggs with sliced tomatoes and basil, finding everything I needed in the garden (and chicken coop).
It is “back to reality.” And reality doesn’t mean just tackling the to-do list. It also includes some really great stuff. Catching up with friends, tending the garden, listening to the kids play happily in our shady backyard, enjoying one last day at the beach before school begins.
In noticing what else is part of this "back to reality" experience, my perspective shifts from grumbling to gratitude, just like that.
School started this week. If I were holding on to my initial “back to reality” perspective, my kids probably would have picked up the same attitude and grumbled their way out the door.
Instead, we took some silly pictures to capture first day outfits, and everyone hopped on their bikes with a quick wave, leaving me standing in the driveway smiling.
What stuck perspective are you hanging on to? How is it getting in the way? What needs to be acknowledged so that you can move on?
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Maybe waking up at 2am and not falling back to sleep could be attributed to the “back to reality” perspective that has taken hold in my brain. I can feel myself mentally digging in my heels, not wanting to deal with the issues that have come up while we were away.
So, here I am, needing to mediate a conversation between my bank and Google about an automatic payment that somehow won’t go through, trying to get my son on a soccer team at his level, catching up on volunteer work that has been sitting idle, running to the store for school supplies and then returning to the same store to get birthday gifts for upcoming parties.
There’s nothing particularly unusual about this sort of re-entry or the grumbling that goes along with it. But what occurred to me over the weekend, as I lay in bed awake, is that I can choose to take on the grumbling “back to reality” perspective or I can choose a different one.
So, in this moment, I ask myself, “What else? What else have I found to be true in coming home?” And I can’t help but think of the warm and affectionate response of the cats, who are so happy to have us back. I remember the hand-made “Welcome Home” banner strung up on our porch by our friends.
I think of waking up our first day back, after a 23 hour day the day before, realizing the fridge was empty and still able to pull off a delicious breakfast of potatoes and eggs with sliced tomatoes and basil, finding everything I needed in the garden (and chicken coop).
It is “back to reality.” And reality doesn’t mean just tackling the to-do list. It also includes some really great stuff. Catching up with friends, tending the garden, listening to the kids play happily in our shady backyard, enjoying one last day at the beach before school begins.
In noticing what else is part of this "back to reality" experience, my perspective shifts from grumbling to gratitude, just like that.
School started this week. If I were holding on to my initial “back to reality” perspective, my kids probably would have picked up the same attitude and grumbled their way out the door.
Instead, we took some silly pictures to capture first day outfits, and everyone hopped on their bikes with a quick wave, leaving me standing in the driveway smiling.
What stuck perspective are you hanging on to? How is it getting in the way? What needs to be acknowledged so that you can move on?
*** if you are interested in receiving my blog posts to your Inbox, please click the button below. ***
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