Another Beautiful "MeDay" in Paradise

California Lupine Wildflowers

I love, love LOVE it when a sunny warm weather day lands on one of my MeDays - like it did the other day.  A MeDay is a gift I give myself  - sometimes its a whole day, sometimes a half, or sometimes it's just ten minutes if life is going that way - a gift of time - free of scheduled appointments and meetings - just to be with myself.   It's a day my Myers Briggs (MBTI) "P" self can revel in and lead as she pleases; playing, productively putzing, ideating, tapping into wisdom, creating, learning, exploring, soaking up the sun, being in nature...  I was going to say a day unplanned, but I have found that a little planning goes a long way, otherwise, chances are the day might be squandered on less than MeDay like activities - like spending hours cleaning out email inboxes, or doing back office admin tasks (unless of course I really really really get a lot of enjoyment out of doing those things in that moment).    

Fans of Julia Cameron's books, The Artist's Way and The Artist's Way at Work - will recognize MeDays as an ideal day for a date between you and your inner artist.  Which is exactly how I planned this MeDay or MeDate to be - a lunch time meditative "walk and shoot" (of the iPhone camera kind) out in nature over at Edgewood Park. 

I've taken you to Edgewood before - last year around Spring time too.   It never disappoints.  (and yes - those flashes of blinding white light any of you living in the Bay Area may have seen around noon were not the Comet Panstarrs passing by - but the debut of my "winter white" legs on their first "shorts wearing outing" of the year.)

It has taken me a long time - years even - to get to where I am today when it comes to taking a MeDay.  A place where it's "OK" to take one.  Scratch that.  To get to a place where I know that MeDays are as vital to my joy, satisfaction and yes SUCCESS in life as oxygen is to breathing and living.  

I remember working with Melanie DewBerry Jones - now the Queen of Verbal Swagger - years ago - and talking to her about a desire I had to work a half day - one or two days a month.  A desire that for some reason I was having trouble fulfilling.   The goddess of language was quick to point out where my emphasis was in that statement.  Do you see it too?  What I wanted was a half day off - but because I'd labeled it as working a half day - I wasn't claiming and owning what I truly wanted - and work and scheduled meetings kept finding their way into the part of the day that was supposed to be free!  This was quite a revelation for me.

I wish I could say I was off and running with MeDays after that - but the reality is - it has taken time and consistent practice to get to where I am today with them. To a place where I'll defend the boundaries of a MeDay or MeDate as fiercely as a mama bear defends her cubs.   Recognizing that there are times when life is such that I have to make an exception - but that's ok - as long as it stays an exception and doesn't become a rule.

California Poppy

I returned from this MeDay outing feeling not only "pinch-me" blessed to live where I do - with access to glorious walks like this just minutes away so as to fit them in easily into the day - but also recharged, reinvigorated, in love with life, and raring to go.   

Like the increased metabolism burn of an HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout - the benefits of this MeDay lunch time excursion stayed with me throughout the rest of the afternoon.  It fueled reading I did for work, the writing of this post, and the exploration of some new brain based "energy" coaching tools I'm considering adding to my remodeled business' tool kit.  

A Young Redwood Tree

No matter how busy your life - and I know how busy it gets - trust me when I say you can create this joyful moment for yourself too.  If new to the idea (like I was those many years ago) ease your way into it. Allow time and practice to explore different ways and activities that work for you.  Give yourself permission to make "mistakes" - and learn from them too.  Some general tips I find useful (and occasionally remind myself of when a MeDay falls flat) are:

• Schedule this time with yourself only.  This is not about being with or taking care of others - it's about being with and taking care of YOU!  

• Plan ahead.  Plan (lightly) what your day (or time frame) will look like.  Use the rule of two - plan only 1 to 2 activities - and let the day (if you are taking a day) or the moment - fill in the rest.  Taking yourself out to lunch?  On a walk?  To an art exhibit?  Out of the office for an hour to read a "fun" book?   If knowing ahead of time where you want to eat, walk, see art, or what you want to read will allow you to sink right in to your scheduled time more easily- plan ahead - know where you want to go, what you want to do, and have what you might need (the book, your walking shoes...) in order to maximize your special time accordingly.

• Calendar your MeDay / MeDate.  If you're the person whose calendar is FULL FULL FULL of appointments, meetings and activities - schedule your time on your calendar too.  Just as you wouldn't skip that meeting with your boss, or your kid's doctor appointments - you'll be less likely to miss an appointment with yourself if it's on your calendar too. 

• Set up (and in some cases educate) support needed in advance.  My husband is well aware of my MeDay needs and schedule - because he knows how important they are to my success (educate) and because I've worked with him and his calendar to schedule them.  Thanks honey - I'm so very grateful for your support!  If you need support (from your honey, your family, your roommate/s...) to carve out time for your MeDay/ MeDate -whether that's them being with the kids, doing a load or two of laundry, cooking a meal, leaving the house (a personal favorite of mine as my honey and I both work from home) - then work it out with them in advance.

If you are already rocking MeDays - Rock On!  If new to the idea and curious to try it on - go for it!  You have nothing to lose - but SO MUCH  CREATIVITY, WISDOM and SUCCESS TO GAIN!