Please yourself first

For workaholics, pleasing yourself first is a real challenge.  There's always more work to do, meetings to arrange or articles to write.

I have finally come to realize that not every hour of the workweek needs to be spent in a meeting or pinned to your office chair, no matter how lovely an office you have.

I started small, forcing myself to go out for lunch rather than eat at my desk.  If I don't go out to lunch, then I work in my garden for at least part of that hour.

Then I signed myself up last August for a watercolor class on the premise that painting would exercise some additional parts of my brain.  And because I had never had lessons before.   I knew that whatever I might understand from looking at art most of my life might be of some peripheral use, but that I was in uncharted territory with a steep learning curve.  I was fortunate enough to pick a wonderful teacher, Jan Morris, who is the least directive teacher you can imagine, but who conducts the classes with grace and humor, and helps whenever asked.

Finally, I plan to recognize summer as a time I can loosen up a bit.  I plan to add a couple of other classes at the YMCA to increase my core strength and flexibility.  And I've got three four hour painting workshops booked.

This week, when I travel to New York for meetings and a conference, marks the formal beginning of my summer.  Once I'm back, I'll be full on the new book.