Swingin'

Getting back in the swing of things is never easy. Ever. Sometimes the idea of it is fun, til you realize the idea is much different than the reality.

Still, I find myself ever-attempting to get back into the swing of things, even if I haven’t been on that swing since…college? Since I had summers off and only went to school 4 days a week for 4 hours at a time?

…Actually, I can guarantee that most of them time when I think about getting back into a set routine, that routine never even existed in the first place.  

I was a lot more active about 4 years ago because I had a lot more time on my hands. I cooked a lot more. I slept a lot more. I hung out with friends A LOT more.

The saying is true – so much to do, so little time. I can’t tell you how many times a day I wish I had more time in a day.

I want to work, hard. I want to be known as someone who gets stuff done, and who gets things taken care of. I want to get to work early and leave work late. (Is anyone else hearing “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by Cake in their heads right now?)

I want to be a machine in the gym and on the track. I want to alternate between looking like a Victoria’s Secret swimsuit model and Jillian Michael’s at her most ripped. I want to run 50 miles a week and do yoga every day. In fact, I’d really like to be a fitness instructor and maybe a personal trainer and how bout a life coach as well?

I want to be best friends with everyone. I want to go to happy hours every day, have long brunches every Saturday and Sunday. I want to host birthday parties and showers. I want to buy all my people lots and lots of presents.

And I want to be the best girlfriend to my best boyfriend every hour, of every second, of every last day.

But, this just isn’t reality. As much as I want THIS all to be my swing, it’s not manageable. Things have to get dropped, people’s parties have to get skipped, money has to be saved, nights of rest have to replace nights of running, and yoga just never, ever gets done.

So what IS the swing I’m trying to get in to? What IS manageable?

I can work, hard, during the hours of work.

I can run, for an hour, a few times a week. I can lift weights and spin a couple other times a week. Yoga…still probably won’t get done.

I can hang out with friends a few times a week. I can see my boyfriend a few times a week. I can give 100% of me to these outings/innings because these are the people who revive and refresh my spirit. I can “show up,” not dial it in, not let the complaints and annoyances of every day life (Traffic? Weariness?) even come up in conversation. I can save my best for my loved ones.

I can focus on contentment. I can believe that “Gratitude turns everything I have into enough.” I don’t have it all, I don’t have enough time, but I have enough time to make my days and my weeks exactly as they should be.

Gratitude and contentment. These are the swings I’m getting back into…or maybe just really getting into for the first time ever.