Slowing down the crazy train

For those who haven't heard me whining and complaining, October was a crazy month! Dad was installed as Vicar, Brian deployed but is still on layover and trying to get to his base, I spent a week in Rapid City, South Dakota for the American Center for Credit Education conference then flew home with a flu that I couldn't shake for almost a week. I had an insane number of workshops and classes on top of planning three large community events for Protect Your Identity Week. Just thinking about last month makes me tired.

So, for November, I am making a concerted effort to slow down. I'm spacing out my work obligations, and even managed to say "No" to an evening PR opportunity. I'm not beating myself up for taking some downtime in the evenings to read or watch a movie. Sure, I'm way behind where I think I should be with my holiday crafting, but so what? I've started doing Pilates again every night and love the fact that I've managed to make my health a priority over all the clutter that usually clouds my motivation (I know working out doesn't really qualify as "taking it easy" for most folks, but it really helps bring me into balance, so I'm counting it).

There is another reason, besides the potential for burnout, that I'm trying to pamper myself a little this month. The fact is, December is only a month away. December means the first anniversary of losing Mom, Jen, my old job, and the life I thought I was going to be living. While I am very happy with the way my life has shaped up here in Savannah, it's still a bit overwhelming. Grief and transition are similar to tides and the waves at the beach. You can be standing in warm, dry sand one moment and then a big wave washes over you, buries your feet in muck and flings sharp rocks and shell shards of sorrow against your legs. I want to be in as good of a place as possible going into next month; an ounce of prevention and all that.