Gone Fishing

As you read this, with any luck there is a bass on the end of my line or a monster lake trout. I am in Northern Ontario, about an hour from my parent’s home on the north shore of Lake Huron. Call it the middle of nowhere (no cell service, lots of wildlife, loons on the lake are the loudest sound to hear).

As many of you know, I suck at self-care. I am, however, working on it. I have been actively trying to do smaller things in the hopes of finding a greater sense of calm amidst the storm that is often life on the road. This week I am going to:

1. Cloud watch. I intend to lay on my back and watch the sky.

2. Connect with my kids. I intend to laugh at dumb jokes around the campfire and take endless fish off their hooks.

3. Purposely take 10 deep breaths each day and feel my lungs feel with air. I intend be my mindful that I am here and alive.

4. Take a nap. I intend to do this once this week while I camp on an island in the middle of a lake – even if it is only 10 minutes while my kids explore a beaver dam or go fishing with their grandfather.

5. Check in with my emotions. I intend to do some, well, feeling about how I feel about stuff.

6. Figure out how to turn one dream into a goal. I intend to plot something that will challenge and fulfill me personally and professionally.

I know that when I practice this annual art of fishing off the grid it helps me for the rest of the summer. I hope and trust you are taking time for self-care this summer to. Get some Vitamin D. See you next week.