A moment in the park
Sitting on the grass, barefoot, wearing shades and a cowboy hat enjoying the sun-warmed skinned and gentle kisses of wind.
There’s NO WAY I thought I could “spontaneously” enjoy a moment like this on such a last minute notice. but I did.
When the opportunity knocked on a moment for our full family to be able to get out the house together and while individually yet collectively enjoy being outside, I quickly went to a mental visual of my to do list and my timeslots available for the day to see if this was possible, satisfying, and still in line with myself.
There are times when I struggle with last minute invites, because, I like to plan ahead to ensure I’ll have a great time as well as having a backup plan in case I don’t like what the outing is I’m not used to change as quickly, and tbh, I like routine. However, during this shift in season, I can tell I needed to try something a little different.
So instead of telling my partner an immediate no (because wtf dude, I already had my shit planned out for my day “off” from work, and you think I’m just going to drop all of this, for a last minute, not thought about party invite?!) I said “hold on, lemme see if this can fit into the schedule first, and I’ll let you know here shortly.” Now thankfully, my partner and I were on a walk around a neighborhood when this conversation occurred, so I was able to talk this out loudly a technique that allows me to zero in and focus on the immediate knot*
Here’s how I made it possible to not only enjoy every single moment of my to do list items, I was able to know that as soon as I got back home, I had to take an allergy tablet.
Step One:) Identify how long it will take for the activity in question to take. In this case an outdoor party/get together. What this entails is the time estimated to be at the activity, and includes the travel time to and from the location, and the prep time to get ready to leave your home.
Step Two:) Identify what time you’d like to arrive at the activity, and then adjust the time ahead to count for travel, then again to account for prep time. Now we have the time you would need to leave your house to make it to the event at the time you would like to enjoy it (please note, if parking is a thing in your area, I shouldn’t need to tell you to calculate that in to your travel time, but if you didn’t think about it, here’s your reminder to do so :) )
Step Three:) Now let’s assess your current to-do list. This is where I leave you, because at this point you need to identify how long you are allowing for each task on your list, and see if it can accommodate your new activity based on your schedule. Please note, FOMO is real, but doing things that needs to get done is a lot more satisfying, remember you get to create the life you wish to live.
Thankfully I was able to stick to my to-do list and enjoy a moment in the park with my family.