Summer Hours...

I am blessed that my company has continued to keep me around, but also to extend to its home office employees a summer hours program. We take on a little bit more time Monday-Thursday and then we have a half day on Friday. I would be perfectly comfortable with that schedule for the whole year....when you are working between 50-60 hours a week, does it matter where you do the work?

That is my thought for the day....have we become a workforce focused on results and productivity or are we still a workforce that requires a great amount of corporate structure and the see and be seen culture? I think that for some corporations, we are somewhere in between and for those environments that have more entrepreneurs, the productivity/outputs matter more than the visibility.

I hope that we always remember that balance is important...that is work/life, work/work and people/work....I have wonderful colleagues that I am blessed to see everyday and a wonderful environment to come home to as well. It makes me healthier and more fulfilled....

Enjoy your Friday afternoon.....wherever you may be....

Not My Best Day..

Do you ever have one of those days where you just struggle? Nothing seems "in place" from your balance to your cognition to your ability to stay awake (generally). Yep that was my day today....I got up at my normal time and went to the office, as usual.

I discovered once I had used all of my energy to get up, shower, get in the car and make the 30 minute drive, that I just wasn't going to last the whole 9 or 10 hour day. So I did what I thought was best....I told my boss and co-workers that this just wasn't my best day and I came home to snuggle. And snuggle I did....in my big bed with my portable desk laptop and beautiful dog Maggie.

What I have learned? On those days where you have health struggles and you are not at your best (or even close to it).....you need to listen to your body and try to find some comfort. Mine was snuggling with Maggie and my laptop for the rest of the afternoon. And trying to get some work done to make myself feel better about my "lack of cognition" earlier in the day. As I snuggle here at almost 9 pm.....I feel better, emotionally, productively and I'm smiling.

I hope to not always struggle with physical challenges, but when I do I know how to turn my "not best day" into a peaceful one.....

Soaking my feet...connected to health? It might be

What do you do to relax and enhance your health at the end of a long day?

I usually have long days, like most people. I am up at 5 am, showered and walking to the train by 6 am. On the train I usually start my work day and then I arrive at the office around 7:45 am. Then it is your typical busy corporate day....phone calls, emails, meetings and more deliverables. Then back off to the train and the walk home to my city apartment which I share with my lovely boyfriend.

And what do I try to do after dinner? Soak my feet in a detoxifying foot bath. This foot bath comes with an ionizer that fits within the footbath. This footbath works to detoxify your body. How do you know what's coming out? Well, it comes with a handy chart that allows you to tell what part of your body is detoxing at any point in time. I can tell you right now, that my biggest point of detox is my liver.....so the water after my footbaths is usually quite orange. But I'm glad that it is coming out versus clogging up my liver function.

I have to admit it felt very strange to watch yourself in a foot bath for 30 mins and within minutes that water begin to turn colors. But afterward I started to feel better and know that this is a great thing that I can do for my body. Not only does it feel like an excuse to soak my feet after a long day, but also it helps to ground me in what is going on in my body that needs some attention. And that is important.....

Now I can focus on working on taking care of my liver.....along with everything else. It feels good to be connected to myself....

Health & Joy...how interrelated are they?

This morning I was pondering how truly interconnected health and joy are....whether we need to feel physically good to be joyful or can we find joy in the littlest things as long as we are conscious enough to search.

I know that there are different points of view on this topic, but I would like to think that you can always find some joy. I learned to truly find joy in the last ten years....when I had to reinvent my life. During this process, I learned that joy can come from the smallest accomplishments or contributions...whether it was making myself laugh at least once a day or sending someone a nice note to let them know that you were thinking of them. Sometimes I think that I, like most people, get too caught up in health sides of things. You know the normal questions that woman ponder (or obsess, depending on who you are)....

Am I the right size? Do I eat the right foods? Do I put the right things in my body? Am I conscious enough to notice that my body isn't working right? Or am I satisfied with just surviving vs thriving? And what would it take for me to thrive...being healthy and joyful? And will I ever know the answers?

I am starting to be convinced that I will never know the answers, but I believe it is more important to know the questions and be able to ponder. Pondering keeps me going and keeps me smiling....what else would I do on the train when I'm not obsessing about work/home and if my outfit looks good....

Have a great day and don't forget to ponder just a little....and find a smile

Sundays...rest and smiles

Sundays are meant to be filled with rest and relaxation. Today was a good day.....

Slept in, walked with the dog to get coffee and read the Sunday paper. And let's not forget the Sunday morning tradition of searching for coupons.....they just don't have as many as they used to in the Sunday paper. But it is still fun to look for bargains!

I think its important to look for smiles everyday. Today, it was standing out in the sunlight this morning and watching Maggie (our little Chihauhau/Terrier) be playful in the grass. She is so sweet and works to remind me every day that I should smile. She greets me when I walk in the door and it is the most excitement that I remember anyone having for me when I walk into the room. She constantly reminds me how much love there is in this world.....

Sundays are my favorite days....and I hope everyone remembers to smile this Sunday and every one after this.....

It is important to remember as we get older that you can always find simplicity and smiles.....just don't forget to look....