Sur-thrival: to focus equally on surviving and thriving.
When Greg goes away on business, I enter a new philosophical mindset I’ve dubbed “Sur-thrival”.
I like Greg. A lot. The kids and I are not fans of him leaving on business trips. As a defensive mechanism, I kick into high gear when he’s gone.
I survive. I make simple meals with what’s left in the fridge. We eat a lot of burritos. I get a babysitter to make sure I can get a run in or go to spin class. I start dinner earlier than I would if Greg were coming home. I let the laundry wait until after the kids are in bed, because I’ll be home alone and can fold it then.
We thrive. I pack our days with awesome activities to distract all of us from missing Greg. The kids and I do craft projects together. I say yes to the glitter glue. I plan a trip to the museum after school. I clean up from dinner before they go to bed and enjoy a quiet evening of reading or blogging. I try a little harder to take time for myself, and to plan fun things for them.
When Greg left recently, my 5 year old looked at me and said “We’re going to have extra fun, right?” He’s noticed that I kick it into high gear when Dad’s gone.
But do we really need a reason to take it a bit easier, and plan a bit more fun?
The days and weeks can slip away from us if we never sit down and plan a fun outing, or think about an activity we’d enjoy doing and make it happen. Sometimes, to have time for that, we need to take it a little easier on ourselves in another category of our lives.
Life is crazy. Having fun is…fun.
So find a couple corners to cut, and pick a couple things you love doing. Go browse through a real, brick-and-mortar bookstore. Call a friend and go see a movie. Go see a movie by yourself. Go for a hike. Order your groceries online and use the extra hour to lie on the couch reading and listening to the rain.
Purposefully plan to do something you love. Actively find some ways to make your life easier.
Thrive 🙂