The kids are back to school in most of America and parents are running around packing healthy lunches, driving them to soccer practice and band tryouts, while also trying to work a full week, get the oil changed, cut the grass, feed the dog, get to yoga, and pay the mortgage.
Even if you are not a parent, or the kids are grown and only come by at Thanksgiving, life involves too many things to do them all well all the time.
You can honestly only do some of them well (or at all) some of the time. The moment we can accept this, we can also start to relax our unreasonable expectations and fit in more of what’s really important. Not next week; this week.
So what will you give yourself permission to skip or do badly this week?
Maybe this is not the week for healthy lunchboxes? The kids (and you) will be fine with PB&J for a few days.
Maybe the grass could just get tall or the kitchen can just stay messy?
Maybe you could just do the bare minimum at work and get home early for a few days.
Maybe it’s just not a gym week.
Pick something that you just won’t worry about and can unapologetically let slide. Pick something different next week. Pick something every week (though you should probably keep feeding the children). You could have an ‘ignore the inbox’ week, or a ‘ditch the dusting’ week(month).
For real. Your productivity and striving and checking things off your interminable ‘to do’ list is not as important as your sanity and enjoyment.
Sit down.
Play fetch with the dog.
Watch the birds.
Proudly let the laundry pile up for a bit.