Hi there! It’s time for Tuesday Topics, and today’s topic is How do you find balance during summer chaos?
It’s funny because as I was writing my Weekly Rundown post for Sunday, I couldn’t help thinking “Man, this is boring.” I’m doing a moderate amount of running, strength training, yoga, some walking here and there. Going to work, cleaning the house, reading… HO HUM. I need a little craziness in my life again!
For me, an interesting life is never really “balanced.” At least, not in the moment. Overall I guess it all balances out. There are times for more intense training and times for recovery. After my race I needed some down time, and it felt good. But now I’m getting that itch again.
Tomorrow I’m going for a trail run for the first time since March. I can’t wait! I miss being hot, sweaty, and exhausted. It’s not going to be long, compared to what I was doing, but it’s a start in that direction.
If the Universe had wanted us to be balanced then we wouldn’t have seasons, would we? I figure summer is the time for a little adventure, with all this extra daylight.
A few other things about my “weekend” (remember, now I don’t work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!)
I’m reading a really good book:
I’m going sock shopping. Seriously, an adult should not be leaving the house like this:
I’m watching NBA playoffs! I don’t normally watch basketball, but I love playoff games and these are exciting. I’m rooting for San Antonio to at least win a couple games!
Do you like “balance” in your life? What does that mean to you?
Next week’s topic: Favorite warm-weather snack, meal, or hydration tip.
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
Top photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
30 Responses
Well, at least your “boring” life still includes running, strength training, yoga, reading, NBA playoffs, trail running, and a sock emergency. That’s more excitement than most people manage! 😂
I like your idea of seasons. Me too, I NEED something exciting and unbalanced to make life feel alive.
Maybe it’s time to plan another race? Just a short-ish one, like a 4 July race to scratch that itch?
And that trail run sounds like exactly what you need right now. There is something wonderfully satisfying about coming home hot, sweaty, tired, and covered in trail dust. Have fun out there!
It was SO FUN, Catrina! I was really happy to be back out there. And yes, i’m thinking about another race… I have my eye on a 50k in November. So, not soon, but I would have to start training for it soon.
I love your attitude about balance and a boring life! If we do what we love we don’t need balance!
The only balance I need is work/life balance, enough balance to do Bulgarian squats, and I need my sleep. Otherwise let me spend a full weekend learning Black mountain rag on the guitar, or code for 3 days in a row (with some heavy weights thrown in). The back-to-back sessions I do now in the gym give some nice excitement too.
I agree with Catrina, perhaps it’s time for another race, it doesn’t have to be an ultra! Or make your own challenge, with a long trail run. Or increase your weights in the gym. Challenge yourself with something!
Yes, definitely I need a challenge. Increasing my weights would be a good one, because I don’t think I push myself enough in the gym. And, another running challenge for sure.
Balance is overrated! As long as I have a little downtime and decent sleep I say bring it on!
I’ve heard that Whidbey is really good, but also a really tough read. For that reason I decided to steer clear for now. I somehow won the Libby lottery and am reading Whistler by Ann Patchet and DANG IT IS GOOD. I’ve never been able to get into any of her books before and this one is working out big time.
In more mundane news, I am so boring that all of my socks are exactly the same and I bought them all at the same time, so when I found a hole in one sock it was no surprise that I started finding holes in all of my socks. So if you’re still awake after reading that, the punchline is that my sock wardrobe is now the survinging few pairs that don’t have holes yet plus a bunch of new socks, all identical. Since that part of my life is so boring, that leaves room for something spicier to achieve balance.
Ha ha… yes, socks are boring! BUT, also important to have some without holes. I’m going to Target today where I will buy a nice pack of neutral colored socks. There, that’s fun, right???
Oh, I finished Whidbey- oof. Yes it was hard.
I hope you enjoy the trail run! I’m sure it’ll be nice to get back to the trails after some time away. I’m still kinda easing back into training after my race/DNF but I know I still have lots of time since my next one isn’t until the end of September. And life has been busy lately so I’ve been trying to find that balance which is never easy!
Ashley, was your sister’s wedding last week or is it this week? Yes, I’m sure you’re busy! And- it felt so good to get back out on the trail. I had a happy run!
It was last Friday! It was a beautiful wedding and lots of fun, it was nice to get my mind off some things going on in my life for a few days. Now I’m back at work and my usual routine which feels good to come back to but I’m already looking forward to my next long weekend haha!
I’m cracking up at your socks. Bah ha ha. I don’t think I’ve ever worn a mismatched pair.
I like balance, but I find it rare. I want a clear and ordered house. I want meals to be varied and yummy. I want the groceries to be purchased by someone that isn’t always me. I also want 3 hours to write a day in the summer. Time to workout. Time to pray or attend mass. Time to see friends. (this last one is the least likely to happen – we don’t plan things out and Coach wears out his social battery at work, and people we want to hang out with have lake houses or they get busy fast). I’m working stupid long hours on creating the Curly movie for her grad party, so no balance right now at all. Once the grad party is done, I hope to work in the writing time. I’m also begging my offspring to do more. We are so low on groceries AWAYS. The kids will go to the store, but apparently I buy a lot of stuff that I think of while standing in the store. If I’m not standing in the store, the things do not get purchased. Two trips Sun and Mon and no one bought bread. I don’t eat bread, and no one else would ever write something on a list. BAH!
Oh boy- you have some lofty goals. Meals that are varied and yummy, a clear and ordered house…. not sure I’m achieving either one of those (I’ve given up on the meals, but the house is a constant battle). The thing is- you take on a lot of extra projects that are a LOT of work, like Curly’s movie. Obviously it’s important to you and meaningful, but it throws the rest of your life out of balance. Which is what I’m talking about! If everything were in balance all the time, it would be so dull.
Your socks are amazing. Never change who you are, Jenny.
I think balance is just people talking about priorities. What are your priorities and how do you live your life to meet those priorities? Right now is insane at work, so I know that I can’t have a lot of non-work things to do because then I will lose my mind. The priority is work (just for June) and resting when I’m at home. My husband is even doing a dog walk in the afternoon, so I’m only walking the dog twice a day, which feels like a real weight has been lifted. I think you’re on to something, though, that there are seasons and our priorities change based on those seasons.
Well… thank you. HOWEVER, part of the reason I’m wearing mismatched socks is that the matches have holes in them… these socks are old. I truly need new ones.
You’re right, it’s all about priorities, and it’s normal for priorities to change. I hope your work isn’t too unpleasant! And also- it’s good to know that things will calm down in July.
I think balance is hard to consistently strike unless you have ultimate control of your schedule – and most of us don’t. I try to not overcommit to things so I don’t feel too unbalanced. But it’s hard to overcommit when I don’t have many free slots in my schedule right now between work, working out and the kids’ extracurriculars. But I am happiest when we have a pretty full schedule. I am glad that tomorrow is the last swimming lesson because I do not enjoy getting the kids into their pjs after class. Will is not very cooperative! But we are taking a break from lessons into the winter season so i have 6 months off from it! Woo hoo!
I wonder what it would look like to have ultimate control over my schedule. I might come close when my daughter goes to college, and that will feel so weird! I’m sure I’ll adjust though.
I know you like having a full schedule, and I know why that is! Too much downtime with kids doesn’t work well.
Hmmm, I think I see it a little differently about seasons! You said if the Universe wanted us to be balanced, then we wouldn’t have seasons. But aren’t the seasons what CREATE balance? I think if we DIDN’T have seasons, THAT would be unbalanced, because it would be the same the same the same, forever. But by having seasons, the Universe naturally balances us throughout the year- a little of one thing, a little of another, in cycles. Or at least that’s what’s popped into my head when I read this! 🙂
Well, you could say the seasons balance everything out. If we didn’t have them, think how boring it would all be. I guess what most people want is for things to balance out over the long term- not necessarily every day or every week, but over the course of a year, things are balanced. Possibly…
I’m laughing at your socks, and at Birchie having all the same socks. I think we all need to throw her off and get her different socks for Christmas. But really, we should all probably get YOU socks for Christmas, then you don’t have to deal with it.
Balance for me is mostly between busy and calm. I like to get out and do things, but I recharge at home. So a weekend with one day where we go somewhere, and one day where we stay home and relax is perfect to me. I still exercise and so on, but I want to not have to be social sometimes. I wonder if working from home for so long (20 years now) has made me more antisocial. Answer = YES. I spend so much time home alone, and yet I still want chill time on the weekends.
I’m envious of people who work at home, but I also think it would be bad for me because then I would never want to go anywhere and see people. It’s probably good that I’m forced to go to work and socialize.
Yes, Birchie needs a nice package of Harry Potter socks! Maybe next Christmas her Secret Santa will get her some.
Balance! Is my word of the season! THANK YOU– I loved this post and it was a total lightbulb for me.
Sarah, I read your post today! Glad this one was a help.
I’m retired, so I’m probably not the best person to speak about Balance. I have learned, however, after getting a diagnosis of ME/CFS, that I need to work harder to find a Balance between activity and rest. I was always quite active and used to doing everything myself. Now, even though the urge and desire are there, I simply don’t have the strength or energy for everything I want/need to do.
When I was teaching, summertime was the best. I was off with my kids, and we didn’t even think about Balance: we did so many things for those months, and we acted like summer was going to end the next day.
Yes, you definitely need a balance. Ugh, I’m sorry you have to deal with health issues! ME/CFS is a tough one from what I understand. No clearcut treatment, just constant management.
I REALLY miss the summers of my youth! I’m very grateful that my parents were teachers so we could all be home.
I love the socks, Jenny!!
“Overall I guess it all balances out. There are times for more intense training and times for recovery.” Yes, yes, yes. I am really leaning into this right now. My life feels… unconventional and with two weeks to go on our trip I’m leaning into this crazy pace of adventures and then… it will be good to have a very boring life again 🙂
I think life naturally ebbs and flows and I like Kae’s comments about balance and seasonality. That said, I think it might be more apparent to us in parts of the world with incredible distinct seasons; Florida wouldn’t fit the same mold as Wisconsin and Nova Scotia. When it’s frigid and we’re snowed it, life’s pace naturally slows down or, at the very least, feels dramatically different from the summer when we can wander outside in flip-flops. I suspect you can wear flip-flops year round. We most certainly cannot!!!
Yes, there are definitely people who wear flip flops year round here! We do get some “cold” days (ie down to the 40s or 50s overnight) and people persist in wearing flip flops. Most days it’s a comfortable option.
ANYWAY. I feel like this adventure you’re been on is similar to me running an ultra- when it’s over you’re just going to want to rest and be boring for a while. You will definitely need some downtime!
San Antonio??? No way! I’m so glad the Knicks won! Even those I don’t watch NBA and the Knicks aren’t my team if I did lol!
Yes, sometimes things do get a little TOO dull and comfortable and we have to shake it all up. that’s what keeps things interesting.
I feel like balance is an illusion most of the time… it’s either feast or famine LOL but I am trying my hand at more balance this summer. How are you liking your new schedule?
I used to have a blog called Balance, Joy and delicious. clearly I value balance a lot! I am in the mind of balancing all what makes us happy, just not at the same intensity at the same time.
how did the trail run go? now I feel like I understand your love for trail a bit better.
I’m also rooting for the Spurs! I was around some really annoying Knicks fans early on in the finals, and now I’m rooting against them just in spite of those fans. Muahahaha.
Ahh, balance. It’s so hard sometimes! I really need it in my life or else I get overwhelmed. But I also know it’s good to have UNBALANCED seasons every now and then because that’s what makes life fun! Being 100% balanced doesn’t lead to much growth, I don’t think.
Oh the elusive feeling of balance…. By the way came here from Sarah’s blog.
For me… it depends. On what? My husband’s travel schedule, activities, my own mental state, my children’s behavior… the state of the world…
I am sensitive to the things around me obv
For the summer… I want a mix of adventure and relaxation. And I think I have it most of the time. We take our big summer trip (mostly been Eurocentric) in July mainly then home for August to have some relaxation/home projects/Jersey shore day trips. Actually take a dip into the ocean, it’s finally warm by August.
I also make sure I have alone time. Just me.