rainy thursday musings

image courtesy of mindyyng

My writing time at Le Beau's cabin in the woods is coming to an end. Alas, so is the entire 3-week recuperation time I'd set aside as the sparkly dangling carrot all year. Hmm, now what?

Le Beau joked earlier today how he needs a vacation from his time away. Plane, train, bus, subway, and car travel while keeping in touch with the studios, finalizing condo refinancing (in a lobby full of screaming children at Disney), scheduling pet care (including an emergency vet trip for Louis' cold), finalizing more Paris and Provence retreat details, partaking in fully scheduled days of meetings and shipping TranquiliT between travels . . . and the list goes on. Whew, it's been a non-stop journey! 

Oui, we were pleased to ride a carousel (twice - I stayed on when all the kids got off - shhh!), eat at some yummy restaurants, dip our toes in sand for the first time this year, learn more than we've been able to process, bask in the energy and creativity of New York, and kick up our heels from time to time. So I'm not complaining, simply reflecting. The rain makes me do that - coupled with the impending conclusion of my dangled carrot and back to school reality.

Sadly, I'm realizing that so many things I'd saved for my time away are, well, still waiting for me. Can you relate? Did you have a big list of items that you'd planned on tackling this summer? Maybe that overflowing closet, book proposal, dance class, art project, new recipes, or an herb garden. Whatever it is, it may not have gotten done and you, too, may be kicking yourself for it.

Here's how I hope to handle it and encourage you to try. Let's see if this will help any back to school/life malaise you, too, may be feeling:

1. Acknowledge what you have done. Focus on the experiences created. List, draw, or collage them.

2. Review your to-dos. Are they still relevant? Are they still a priority? Yes, move them to September. No, remove them from your list altogether. Ahhhh!

3. Consciously craft your fall schedule. Print out this form from my168 hours.com. Pull out makers, post-its, fancy tape, stickers, glitter - whatever ephemera you'd like - and get clear on how you want your weeks to go this fall. Sure, weeks may vary a bit, but overall there is a bit of structure to your days. Capture it and personalize it. 

4. Create an inspiration board for fall. 4 months from today is Christmas. How do you want the rest of the year to play out? What were your big 2011 dreams? Are they still relevant? Have them happened? If so, what can you add to your dream list for our final 4 months of 2011?

5. Take a nap. Indulge in something decadent such as vegan chocolate mousse, lavender bubble bath, or lavender and mint herbal tea.

Sometimes it takes the simple act of carving out space, writing everything down, and turning it into an art project utilizing both our left and right brain to find clarity on rainy days. Bisous. x