Energy balance
Why does life feel like a teeter-totter
As a self-confessed “striver” operating under the false assumption that my body is more robot than human, it is no wonder that balancing my energy is…a struggle. When I do the math on my time, I can see why I feel pinched (especially weekdays):
24hrs - 8 (time in bed, which includes some reading time) - 9.5 (work + walking dog) - 3.5 (family time) - 0.5 (transit time) = 2.5 hours of possible ‘free time’ if I’m 100% efficient with everything (spoiler alert: I’m not). These ‘free-time’ hours fall between 5-7am, and 8:00-9 pm. 2.5 hours to work on my poetry/writing, read, exercise, do anything that might be considered leisure time (TV, one of the many arts and crafts that I enjoy), and spend time with my partner.
2.5 hours is not nothing, and I value it, but it’s hard to balance it out. If I manage to wake up at 5 am and work on poetry, 7 am sneaks up on me quickly. And I can promise you I will not exercise at 8 pm. If I manage to wake up at 5 am to exercise, I will not sit down to do writing *after* that, and likely will be watching a show with my partner by 8 pm (or catching up on work).
Perhaps it is my creature-of-habit nature that makes the balance feel hard. I want time for everything, every day, in some sort of predictable schedule that I can follow, but that’s simply not possible in the time. Every weekday feels overly full but also like something is missing.
Do you relate to this?
Currently reading: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Also reading: The Wild Delight of Wild Things by Brian Turner. WOW, this is a fantastic book of poetry so far.
Recent internet search of note: Dental lace
I personally LOVE this floss. It’s refillable and compostable too!
Political action recap:
Started using the app “5 calls” after learning about it from a friend. Finally! A resource on who to call about what, and when (if time sensitive). Their website is here, but I went straight to the app store. This has made calling my Senators and Representatives so much easier that I do a couple of calls each morning. So I will just highlight some issues I have called about recently in this section (see below).
Contacted my Senators and Representative about saving the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Contacted my Senators and Representative to fight back against the Executive Order regarding cutting the Department of Education.
Contacted my Senators and Representative to support the Resolution to BLOCK arms sales to Israel
Contacted my Senators and Representative to protect the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contacted my Senators and Representative to restore USDA funding for Food Banks and Schools
And more…