Intro:
The New Year had me thinking a lot about goals, values, ambitions, motivations, life, and how excited I was to wear my new fuzzy socks. With all the talk of “look how far you’ve come in a year” and “can you believe that was only 1 year ago” I found myself even more reflective and nearly bubbling over with blog ideas – two of which involved writing about goals and values.
At my old job, we had a list of working norms – kind of like guiding values – and each day at our morning huddle, we would say what working norm we were focusing on that day. I loved that idea. I mean, obviously, in theory, you were living into every positive attribute every day you walked into the office, but how nice it was to really put your heart and soul behind one guiding value each week.
For this reason, I’ve decided to dedicate a new series of “Res” posts to my own kind of working norms – my own mini-resolutions. You don’t have to buy into any of these. You don’t have to make your own. But maybe at some point, it’ll make you think about what it would look like to radically change your life one week at a time.
Res 29: Sit Still
One of my favorite things about living in New York City is how much I walk. Sure, the subways great and all, but my favorite mode of transportation will always be my own two feet. One of my favorite things about all this travel time is the way it allows me to keep in touch with my family and friends who live states away. A walk to the park gives me time to call this friend. A walk to the train is perfect to catch up with that friend.
I spend so much time walking and therefore so much time talking, that I rarely – outside of work – take phone calls while seated. If I do happen to take a phone call from my bedroom, I try to straighten up, set my outfit out for the next day, stretch, or basically anything else that feels like mindless multitasking.
I was talking to a friend the other day from my bedroom, which was already a weird scenario. We were talking about how I’m not good at relaxing and I really need to be better at just “being” sometimes. He asked if I ever sat still. I said I sat all day at my full-time desk job and that I did spend a lot of time sitting, thank you very much.
He said that didn’t count. He asked if I ever sat still and didn’t think about anything or do anything. He asked if I ever just sat still.
I got quiet.
Resolution #29: Sit Still
For the next 11 minutes, I sat criss cross applesauce on my bed, leaning against the body pillow that is propped against my wall. I placed my palms face up on my knees and focused on the quiet conversation that was playing through my headphones.
After a while, my arms felt heavy and my body felt light. I hovered over the pleasantries of saying goodbye at the end of a phone call and floated to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I finished my last minute “before bed” tasks, I found myself not worried about the unchecked items on my To-Do list. I found myself content with what I had accomplished and excited about what I might achieve tomorrow.
Maybe they really are on to something here. Maybe giving yourself a moment to rest isn’t a crime, but a necessary act of grace. As I twirled into a peaceful rest, I could hear every part of my well-being whispering “thank you” against fluttering eye lashes.
Love always,
Liz
