by Deb Cook Lewis
We all have different ways to maintain our mental well-being. When I was a child, I had an unusual stress reliever that probably caused stress for everyone else: I had a schedule.
I think the scheduling bug bit me around age 9 during the summer, and it’s why I’m thinking about it now as we’re getting into summer. I thought my day would be more productive if I made a schedule and stuck to it. Well, soon I learned that my actions and decisions could impact those around me.
In my case, the schedule began at 9 a.m. with exercise. No problem, that’s me by myself and doesn’t require anyone’s cooperation. That’s alone time, right? Then, I’d take a shower at 9:30 - still alone time. At 10:00, it was time for breakfast. But my family had already eaten while I was exercising, so there wasn’t any food left. Oh well, next on the agenda was reading my library book at 11:00. Sounds good, but I finished the last one yesterday, and the mailman wouldn’t bring more before 1 p.m. Should I call the post office and negotiate? Stress was mounting: no breakfast and no book! My mom suggested changing the schedule to include cleaning my room and making reading time later when the mail might arrive. And so it went all day and all summer. It’s probably why I now value flexibility so much. Planning is essential, but we must also be flexible and adapt to our circumstances.
I don’t know if you’ll read this before or after the convention. I’ve scheduled that you should read it before, but you know how that goes for me. Either way, you’ll find us making some adjustments during the convention. Some will make sense, some won’t. Just remember, you can’t read the book until it arrives, and you’d better be flexible enough to show up for breakfast.
I hope you all have a wonderful and flexible summer. Oh, and my husband fondly refers to me as “Calendar Girl,” so perhaps some things never change.