toward

I kinda relish the opportunity check in on my habits. I like to get honest about what's working + what could use some renewed effort + focus. During our little getaway, my partner + I took some time to do this side-by-side + together. We know each other's desires + struggles, so we can support each other + challenge one another too. Conversations with friends offer the same comfort + support, and I value all of these opportunities immensely.

My partner + I set the tone by revisited this interview as a way to get our minds moving in the right direction. We took our time + stopped to chat whenever the conversation raised a thought within us. 

We took some time to write out words + phrases that we want to embody. I find it most productive to focus on the positives...what I want to move toward. Immersed in words like wholeness, love, imagination, wonder, gentleness, enough, simplicity, interconnection + harmony...things feel possible + hopeful. My list of words + phrases covered two pages in my journal. It feels healing + empowering to know that there are that many good words to write + fill my mind with. :)

After sharing our words + the context we were thinking from, our morning + evening routines became the focus. What do we want out of our mornings + evenings? I want my mornings to supply good words, connection, whole foods + movement. 

• good words :: A little time spent with my good words list (in either its more curated or expansive form) + reading good words from various sources is what I need to settle into my best headspace at the start of the day. This can be done in as little as five minutes, but I love when I have more time to process + journal. (News + social media put me in very different place, so I need to protect this time from them.)
• connection :: Years ago, my partner + I started setting the alarm to go off ten minutes before we actually need to get up. When that first alarm goes off, we roll over + cuddle up. It creates a sense of connection that sets the tone for the day. We also spend that good words time together, reading aloud, chatting +/or journalling afterward. I text my girls hello + try to send some good words their way in the morning too. I hope that knowing I'm thinking of them is an encouragement, when they need it.
• whole foods :: We eat nonfat, greek yogurt with fruit, nuts, seeds + honey every morning...except Sundays, when I usually make oatmeal with fruit, nuts, seeds, brown sugar + cinnamon. My partner makes the best coffee. Keeping it this simple just works for me.
• movement :: This is where a big part of our current opportunity lives. We're thinking 5-10 minutes of stretching, sun salutations +/or weights 4 days/week. When we have a bit more time (3 days/week), we're riding our stationary bike or walking in addition to the above. (For a little context, we both have active jobs.)

In the evenings, my priorities are connection, whole foods + movement. 

• connection :: We've noticed that the regular, "How was your day?" puts us back into our workdays, and, for some reason, leads us to recount all the challenging parts of our days. I'd like to find a way to both share our days and to move into our current shared time. We decided that asking, "Harmony?" would be a way to focus ourselves back in on what we feel is our mission. What we're asking is, "Did you contribute to a harmonious milleau today?" "Did you contribute to the excellent harmonies of this world (soil, plants, sun, moon, waterways, animals, human interconnectedness) today?"
• whole foods :: We eat our main meal for lunch + are keeping supper simple. A few of our regulars at the moment are eggs, lettuce roll-ups, tofu/cabbage skillets + an orange for dessert. Cutting out snacking is a focus here.
• movement :: 5-10 minutes of stretching every evening.

In light of these thoughts, we listed some experiments to do in the next few weeks along with some questions we'd like to answer as we move through them:

• 5-10 minutes of stretching at the start + end of each day :: how does it change us?
• light dinner + orange (no other snacks) :: how do our bodies feel? do our pants fit better? do we save money? (motivation is good!)  :)
• always have bananas :: does this alleviate the need for emergency snacks? do we save money? (I know bananas come from a long way away...but they don't have packaging, are filling, nutritious, cheap + easy) 

Phew- this has gotten long, so I'll leave a few questions here in case they might be helpful. :)

A few questions I find useful:

• What are some words I want to embody or move toward?
• What do I want out of my mornings/evenings?
• What can I do to put those desires into action?
• What experiments can I do find out if these habits are sustainable + worthy of sustaining?
• What is the duration of my experiment?
• What do I want to find out? 

I'm looking forward to having some answers + some new, lovely, sustainable habits that move me toward wholeness + harmony!

Love,
Jane