It doesn’t take much to get off course from important life habits. As disciplined as I tend to be, I’m also prone to getting off course with important everyday things. That’s not to say that I stopped completely, but I just haven’t been doing these important things as much as usual.
Example 1, going for a walk twice per day. I have continued to be quite regular in going for a first early morning walk. But when the pandemic started early this Spring and we were being told not to go out, I felt guilty going for the 2nd afternoon walk because I felt I could not properly self-distance from others and also enjoy our lakefront park in Toronto as much as usual. Honestly, that’s a wimpy excuse…it’s easy to self-distance. It was just easier to stay at my desk and keep working in the afternoon. The reality is that my body and spirit missed the second walk. I found it harder to sleep at night. In the past few weeks I have restarted that daily routine and I’m feeling much better…both physically and mentally.
Example 2, meditating twice per day. Similar to walking, I have remained consistent in doing my morning meditation. But I was skipping the afternoon meditation and I feel I have paid the price in my focus. I was so busy composing new music throughout this spring that I wanted to keep working and not let anything get in the way of my momentum. Well despite my best intentions to be as creatively efficient as possible, that was not a good idea. Since getting back from vacation, I have been resolute to do my afternoon meditation at the end of my work day and it has been very good. Clearing my mind and doing deep breathing is very helpful and making me feel great!
Example 3, spending more time on the balcony! The condo that my wife and I live in is a great live/work space. But the balcony is pretty awesome. I get up from my desk every hour to get a drink of water and I’m making more of an effort to spend 5 minutes standing on the balcony to get fresh air. We have a lot of green space around us and there’s so much fresh air being close to Lake Ontario. I go back to my desk feeling all refreshed. I also still haven’t gotten a haircut since January, so standing out there with the breeze flowing through my hair makes me feel like a fashion model. 😉
I’m so lucky to have the ability to enjoy these simple everyday things. I’m happy that I’ve strengthened my resolve to experience them more often. It’s important.
