Living in the Sweet Spot
Mid-July through mid-August is that “sweet spot” of summer. You know what I mean. The frenzy of ending the academic year is well behind you, as are the many celebrations and summer holidays. It’s the calm before the storm that we look forward to every year.
Here are some things to consider as you focus on rest and squeeze out the best from the next several weeks:
Avoid the retail frenzy. You have plenty of time before anyone goes “back to school”.
Live with less for the next few weeks.
Use up the mustard, oats, salad dressing, pickles, and even the leftover paper plates!
Put your favorite summer recipes on repeat and enjoy mindless meals. Double the recipe and freeze half. You’ll be grateful how small your grocery list will be over the next few weeks.
Eat outside as often as you can. Make it a picnic once a week!
Engage your family for one afternoon to toss anything that has not been used or worn since last summer and donate it. Stop for ice cream or a smoothie on the way home!
Write yourself a letter, “What I did on my summer vacation”. How do you want it to read?
Whatever your letter to yourself says, make it happen! Just do it!
Nike was definitely on to something when they introduced their tagline, “Just Do It! In 1988.
Of course, they were promoting donning a pair of new Nikes and leaping off the sofa to go for a run or play your favorite sport. From a wellness perspective, the images of moving your body without excuses are a powerful motivator. But living in the sweet spot does not mean only playing “Just Do It” over and over again in your mind.
Too often, we think wellness has to be this unrelenting practice of moving our bodies in extreme ways, without excuses (lookin’ at you, Jillian Michaels). On the contrary, living in the “sweet spot” requires finding balance, somewhere between “Just Do It” and “Wait for It”.
Imagine a child’s playground with a seesaw. At one end of the seesaw is “Just Do It.” These are not only the physical things you enjoy doing, but also the things you want to do, but you hold yourself back. Perhaps because you overanalyze situations, or you have fear of taking a risk.
On the other end of the seesaw is “Wait for it”. These are the lovely things that happen to you and for you when you let go of control, when you pause instead of racing to finish, when you decide to be present to others in a situation. You let go, instead of forcing an outcome.
Now ponder, what does your seesaw look like right now? What direction is it tipped toward - “Just Do It” or “Wait For It”?
The “sweet spot” is the tip of the fulcrum, the middle of the seesaw where perfect balance is achieved.
When you are living in the sweet spot, you are able to recognize that life is dynamic and ever-changing around you. There are times when “Just Do It” is your battle cry, but NOT all the time. You also must cultivate a practice around “Wait for it”. This is the internal practice of knowing you are not in control and learning to trust that inner voice.
Aim for finding balance and living at the tip of the fulcrum, the “sweet spot”. That means trying to spend as much time getting after it - “Just Do It” as you do in pause and reflection while you “Wait For It”. As you practice this, you will find yourself in a natural rhythm of Fueling and Moving your Body, and also Feeding your Soul. You will find you are more present and care for others while you also find time for self-care.
Living in the sweet spot is possible. Let’s find it together!