Sunday Morning Reflections: The Joy of a Slug Day

LUMIX FZ1000 f4.0 @ 1/400 ISO 125

"Your calm mind is your ultimate weapon against the challenges. So relax!"
Bryant McGill

I've truly grown to love Sunday mornings and the luxury I chose to give myself a long time ago has now become a wonderful routine. The fun of Sunday Morning Reflections is in writing about whatever I want. Since the majority of you are photographers, it's the equivalent of shooting a personal project - I have no specific goals except a little hopefully relevant self-expression.

Let's set the stage. Yesterday was my birthday. I don't have it posted on my Facebook page, although I forgot it was on LinkedIn. While I appreciate everyone's kind wishes, I love having the day exclusively with the most important person in my life, my wife, Sheila. I caught up with a few friends online and then unplugged for the rest of the day.

Yesterday was perfect, and it started with me, camera in hand, chasing a monarch butterfly around the yard, followed by the beach, a little shopping, dinner with Sheila making me a few of my favorites and binge-watching "House of Cards," which we never saw. And there you have it - I barely went online. Didn't think about the business, things I have on my to-do list, or making any notable contribution to society. 

Here's my point this morning. It's taken me most of my time as an adult to realize this is my life; it's not a dress rehearsal. We all work hard, and while I love the paths my career has taken me down, there needs to be a time when I can just relax and step away from the business. It's okay to have a "slug day" now and then. In fact, without them, I'd crash and burn!

So, if you're having a tough time with the concept, and it does take a little advance preparation to get the right mindset, here are some suggestions:
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• Block out the negative people in your life. It' s not easy. You need to forgive them for not understanding and move on. They don't get to step on your dreams and then be a participant in your life.
• Do what you need to do to stay healthy. Short term it's about eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. Long term it's about your weight and dealing with whatever challenges your gene pool has bestowed upon you.  Joe Buissink has a great line, "You can hide from a lot of things, but not bad genes!"
• Use your mind's eye to imagine a day with zero stress. Then, just like the way you compose an image, pay attention to all the key elements, especially being able to see the "light."  Work with me here - this should be so easy for you to visualize. All I'm suggesting is that you compose a perfectly relaxing day.
• Now, give yourself permission to step away from the business and the challenges in your life.

 
And there it is - four ideas to help you create the perfect slug day, but for many of you, it'll be tough. Why? Because you're so focused on defining every minute as productive. You don't realize recharging your battery by just kicking back and smelling the roses might be the most productive thing you could be doing.

"Each person deserves a day in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.
Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us."
Maya Angelou

Wishing everybody the perfect Sunday, and if you need it, a slug day. Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs and be selfish with your time. It's a holiday weekend in the U.S. hopefully giving many of you the time to kick back and relax. Make it a day with as many smiles as you can pack in!

Happy Sunday!