I had the funniest conversation with older bro a couple days ago.
I was basically telling him how much more stable I’ve felt in the past couple of months, compared to the mania of last school year—which is ironic, since our schedules are just as insane, if not more so.
And I owe it all to this simple but powerful mental shift:
I basically assume no free time, ever.
I expect zero down time on weeknights.
I expect early mornings and even earlier bedtimes (this one hurts, as a lifelong night owl).
I expect weekends with commitments and a 6 a.m. puppy wake-up every day, rain or shine.
I expect a massive amount of laundry, all day, every day.
I expect to-do lists that are quite long, and I expect lots and lots of “extras” to be thrown into the mix and added to my plate.
Basically, I just aim LOW and don’t expect any free or uncommitted time, and then I’m never disappointed! Voila! Better still, I’m thrilled when I suddenly have five minutes to myself. :) Amazing.
Older bro and I laughed over this and it triggered a memory of a recent podcast he’d discovered that was about lessons in happiness. The key takeaway for the podcast was eerily in line with my current thinking:
Happiness occurs when expectations meet reality.
Again, simple but profound. I expect zero down time, and the reality is zero down time, so my expectations are met and I’m able to keep a stable frame of mind. :)
I can so clearly remember a repeated conversation the hubby and I had many times last year. We were basically wondering if life would ever calm down, or if we just had to “level up” and accept the new normal.
Welp. We’ve done it. We’ve leveled up!
Aim low and feel HIGH.
I’m telling ya: it sounds kind of crazy like I’m underestimating life, but in reality, it’s been sooooo helpful, and every surprise bit of unscheduled time feels like a gift.
Okay. Deep thoughts done for the night.
Happy Monday, peeps!
Over and out.
P.S. Happy pics from my happy Saturday snuggly time with crew that, yes, felt like a GIFT. ;)
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