Tag: balance

vacation state of mind

Posted on by jplatt27

This weekend Mike and I went to Charlottesville, VA to visit our friends Jess and Peter.  We left Saturday morning for a nice drive, stopping for Bethesda Bagel on our way out of town.

When we arrived, Jess had lunch waiting for us.  We sat down to a hearty lunch of chorizo, spinach, and cannellini bean stew with french bread.  What a nice welcome.

{Afton Mountain Vineyards, the mountains, the fresh air, amazing!}

Right after lunch we headed out for some wine tasting at two of Peter and Jess’ favorite wineries in the area: Pollak Vineyards and Afton Mountain Vineyards. Luckily Peter and Jess are veteran wine-tasters and brought snacks for the car ride in between–I was feeling the wine after the first round and started housing Chex-mix. I don’t know what it is, when I drink a lot I can. not. stop. eating.

We went back to their house for some down time before heading out to dinner.  We had dinner on the Downtown Mall before going to see Michael Jackson tribute band, Who’s Bad.  It was such a fun night–so different than anything we usually do.

On Sunday morning we relaxed before heading to brunch.  And when I say relax, I mean I really relaxed. I laid in bed reading Gone Girl all morning.  It was so amazing.

My state of mind was so different than a usual Sunday morning.  I was completely relaxed, the only thing on my agenda was to read my book. I didn’t have any of that gotta-do-this, should-do-that anxiety that usually plagues me on weekends. Nope, just lay here and read.  I think it’s because we were on vacation.  Vacation mindset is so different than normal life mindset.  Just relax, hang around, no expectations or pressure to produce anything, to do anything other than enjoy yourself.

Now that I’ve had a taste of this vacation mindset, I’m inspired to incorporate this mindset into my normal life. It’s certainly going to be a challenge.  Just this morning I woke up feeling like I should be doing x, y, or z even though it’s President’s Day and I’m off today.  I’ll have to continue to remind myself that I will get things done and that relaxing, when done fully, is so worth it, so enjoyable.

Am I the only one that has this problem?  

 

 

 

a new recipe for balance

Posted on by jplatt27

If there’s one thing I want in my life it’s balance, something that’s not always easy to come by.  My weeks are always packed and I find myself at one of two extremes: either go-go-go or zonked out in front of the TV until bed.

But I recently found a new way to create balance during the week.

A few weeks ago I made Jessica‘s BBQ Spiced Salmon with Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa.  It was the first time I had cooked in months–or cooked something new. Ok, kind of both.  No, I don’t count pancakes.

It felt so good.

I’m telling you, cooking is good for the soul.  Or good for mine anyway.  There is just something about cooking, especially something new, that grounds you in the present moment.  The brightness of the foods, the fresh smells while prepping and the hearty smells while cooking, the sound of onions and garlic hitting a hot pan, the feel of actually doing something with your hands.  It’s awesome.

I was so happy to serve Mike a delicious dinner, impressed with the finished product, and completely energized by the whole process.

It was then that I decided that I need to prioritize this.  If I don’t make room for it in my life, my week nights will get away from me.  In our discussion about the dishes, when I asked Mike if it was about something bigger like wanting to spend more time with me, he said that he did miss us cooking together.

I decided that we should make one new recipe a week together.  Mike liked the idea so it’s our new thing.  One new recipe a week is my new recipe for balance. One new recipe a week to keep me grounded and to connect with my husband.

It’s great.  We’re making new meals and we’re spending quality time together. Win-win.  (You know I love win-wins!)

And we’ve been sitting at the table to eat which is so nice and not the norm for us.

I love this idea! It’s really helped me to be present on weeknights and has actually made my evenings seem longer and more energized. I hate when I feel like I just come home and do nothing.

Check back this afternoon to see what we’ve made so far!

I’d love to know:

What do you do to balance your weeks?