It's All Good (or is it?)

The week before last, two former colleagues,also retired from the Forest Service, visited us while taking long road trips to enjoy their new freedom. As we talked, each of them commented on my retirement lifestyle. They noted how busy I am. And I replied, with confidence and joy, “It’s all good.” No question about that.

Nevertheless, in recent conversations I have found a new word cropping up: “over-committed.” It’s all good, and I am over-committed. They are both true. In seeking resolution for the dilemma, I am reading a book on life balance (Take Time for your Life by Cheryl Richardson). The exercises in the book are helpful. They challenge me to write lists and fill out pie charts and monitor my calendar to determine where I am investing time in activities that are not personally important. I find,however, that “it is all good.” I do not find time wasted or misspent. I love everything I do, and I want to do even more.

The filters of importance and value are not working for me; I need a different approach. I am thinking about the concept of pace. I want the pace of my life to be peaceful. I want to sleep soundly and wake refreshed. I want to spend relaxed time with friends. I want to go for a run or a hike without squeezing it into an overflowing day. I want to listen to music. Cook a meal. Read a novel. Watch a movie. I want white spaces on the calendar. I want a still, silent place in my mind that is not constantly paging through the to-do list deciding what comes next.

As I step back and look at “all good, and overcommitted,” this weekly journal comes into view. I love writing Reflections. I boast that every Sunday for over two years (110 times) it has appeared. It is clearly a habit, a commitment; one might even say an obsession. Now I am going to let go of the obsession and see how it feels…to me and to you.

I will not be writing Reflections every week. I will not be writing on a given schedule. I will not follow the format that has become familiar and predictable. I will write when I am inspired to share. I may send a link to something I found, written by someone else. I may suggest a book or a movie or an activity without adding my own views of its deeper meaning.

I see it as an adventure…a little scary, but promising as well. I invite you to share the journey. Be part of the experiment: share your experiences and observations, suggest readings you find inspiring. I would love to build a broader-based, more interactive community while restoring an element of spaciousness and calm to my own life. How does this change sound to you?

Until the next time, go well.

Pam