Spring is Here. Consolidate Your Strength.

“Yes, it's true we live in a system that demands too much of us, leaves no time for rest, and makes many feel as though their survival depends on working impossible hours. But it's also true that we're increasingly the kind of people who don't want to rest – who get antsy and anxious if we don't feel we're being productive. The usual result is that we push ourselves beyond the sane limits of daily activity, when doing less would have been more productive in the long run.”

~Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

as quoted in this article: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourhours

As we approach the end of winter, and the beginning of the Lunar New Year (on February 1st) and the year of the Water Tiger (zodiac sign predictions for 2022 can be viewed here) I invite you to rest.

Savor these last slow days of ice and cold so that you have enough energy as we emerge into spring.

I’m reading a beautiful book by the psychologist Oliver Burkeman called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman argues that our lives are brutally brief. You only have about 4,000 weeks on this planet if you make it to age 80.

His book is not about “optimizing” time or even “managing” it (as if time could ever be coerced by our requests or demands) but about bringing in an awareness of this blessed scarcity to help ensure that you’re engaging in activities that are meaningful to you, rather than focusing on endless productivity or getting things done.

If you find yourself skipping ahead, or fast-forwarding when things get busy or tough, stay present! Your life is so precious. Let’s live our lives well.

My offices will be closed the week of February 14th (my husband’s birthday). I’ve always taken a day or two to celebrate with him, but this year I’m taking an entire week of my (hopefully) allotted 4,000 weeks on this planet.

We’re planning to stay home, take walks, eat food, and maybe rewatch every Wes Anderson movie–as we did over the course of a week in February 2015 after our planned trip to Florida was thwarted by car trouble.

Sometimes staying home and staying present is even more restful than visiting the beach.