Dear Diary: June 18

I was hoping to write this piece on Monday. 

Not hoping, but rather, planned. 

I wanted to write about how it felt to be conscious of the need for grounding after a whirlwind two months of travel. I returned home to Vancouver, suitcase filled with multiple loads of laundry and a desperate desire for my own bed. Beyond that, my mind and body felt all over the place. I had difficulty concentrating as my brain was perpetually time shifting every few days. The need to be grounded couldn’t have some at a more appropriate time.

So yes, I had planned on writing about it as soon as I got home. But things don’t always go as planned and stuff like chores and work and routines just get in the way. These thoughts in your head remain where they are and as they are - simply thoughts unexpressed and gradually fading away. 

So now is better than never.

I do want to say that while routines may often not be exciting, it’s actually one of the things I was craving while being away. Living out of a suitcase for weeks or days at a time can get boring, fast. Going out every night with colleagues or friends impact how your body processes everything, including its ability to sleep normal cycles. 

So when I’m away, the need for the body (and mind) to get back to a regular rhythm is at the top of my list. Of course, usually when I come home, it falls to the bottom.

Not this time.

This past week, I’ve been proud of myself. I’ve gone to yoga nearly every other day, carving time out for meditation or doing simple things again like cooking or reading. I’ve refrained from constantly checking email (work or otherwise) over the weekend. This digital detox and mindfulness of bringing my body back into balance is seldom on the top of my list. 

My first instinct normally is to be productive: juggling as many things as possible. Luckily, I’ve surrounded myself with friends who don’t believe that juggling multiple things and always having a busy schedule is a good thing - ones who find the beauty in doing nothing. And that it’s okay. I am so grateful to have them in my life. I’m learning every day to be kind to myself. To permit myself time to think and not to think. To just breathe and exist. 

And the irony of this post is that I started writing it while I was in Vancouver but now finishing it here in New York. That’s right - I’m on another trip already. This time, however, I won’t wait as long to share my thoughts. And heck, it’s New York, after all. Why wouldn’t I jump at the chance to go?! Am I right?