Replenish and restore- and don't feel guilty about doing so

 Savoring simple daily pleasures

Last week was an especially hard, long week. It was both physically and mentally taxing. As I spoke about in my previous post, I knew this was in the calendar, I prepared as much as I was able to, and I tried to provide myself the snippets of respite I needed where possible. It also helped that the feeling of comradery with my colleagues was comforting and we buoyed each other along. No less tiring though!

At the end of this draining week, we enjoyed family dinner around the table for the first time since Sunday prior (all be it not a meal I'd prepared my self) and I took a long hot bath and we all watched a fun movie. It was perfect, just what we needed to wind down, spend a little time as a family and herald the weekend. 

Despite the lingering fatigue in the morning, real proper bone tiredness I haven't experienced in some time (intentionally), there was a feeling of accomplishment, rejuvenation, and new energy ready to burst forth. 

My husband and I attended a wedding on the Saturday which was a treat in many respects- in a beautiful setting, we hadn't been to a wedding in a long while, a lovely excuse to get really dressed up- fascinator, heels and all, and a wonderful uplift to see tow people of very different cultures, so in love and happy, and all their loved ones supporting them and surrounding them. 

Sunday was the day i was truly waiting for in that I knew it could be shaped as i pleased to walk, potter, catch up with myself and have a much gentler home day. I took a long walk to the village to enjoy a coffee and then spent the day tidying, organizing and getting prepared for this brand new week. With a sense of excitement, a new fresh energy, and deep contentment that the crazy week that was, WAS, and I can embrace and flourish in my usual routines and habits and commitments this week while enjoying some much needed peace at home to gather my thoughts and complete the recharging and resting process. It's all very well to have these intensely busy periods in out lives, indeed, we often are not able to avoid them entirely. But its vital, certainly for me and from what I've leaned about my self, to also map out some rest and down time after- and or before these periods. Knowing I had these few days to allow myself to unwind, pause and breathe helped keep the stress levels to a manageable level last week and keep me moving forward anticipating how delicious this would feel ; Home on a Monday, laundry whirring, I'm fresh out of the shower after my morning workout, with a gentle, pleasurable, to do list of various tasks and chores, before the family roll back in late afternoon, dumping school bags, kicking shoes off and professing they are starving! 

Nature, as its wont to do, helped ground me yesterday on my walk and allow me to refocus for a new week. A beautiful, iridescent Tui was happy enjoying his nectar breakfast as I set out and was very comfortable with me in close proximity. and to see the trees with tight bright green buds ready to literally burst into spring with brand new energy amongst the magnificent pink magnolias which are in full dazzling glory already. You can FEEL the new energy being shared with you if you take a moment.

Listen to yourself- with out any guilt, know what energises you, and what drains you- and consciously balance them out and try to include more in your everydays that provided that energising quality. We cannot avoid things that drain us entirely, but we can do our best to fully engage with what lifts us. Give yourself that buffer if you are able to after a long and challenging week, make sure it’s a quiet weekend- or whatever kind of weekend that will propel you into the new week revitalised. 

We sat outside enjoying early morning bird song in the fresh air as soon as we woke yesterday, and even had steak cooked in the BBQ last night- it really, truly must be spring.