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On Wednesdays, we’ll reflect: See below for some some of what I’ve learned from the week to inspire reflection, a well-being soundbite, and a view of my wish list / recs / things I’m currently obsessing over. 🙂
1/3. W.I.L.T.W (What I Learned This Week)
The Beauty in the Extra Mile
When it comes to our careers and daily jobs, follow through is a key part of how we operate. Getting our work done, ensuring we are keeping our teams in the loop, and knowing when we need support are nonnegotiable professional norms. But what about the small follow throughs we promise to others in our daily life outside of work?
When we left for our honeymoon, I had a lot of people say things like, “I’ve been there, let me send you some recommendations!” or “My friend just went, let me ask them what they did!” I am not saying those people were saying that just to say it. Nor do I expect this small comment to become the main task they think about throughout their day. But when someone follows through on something personal like that super diligently, it is memorable.
One of our friends (Hi Grace 🙂) mentioned she had spent some time there and had a friend that lived locally. She didn't just send me a couple pictures or one spot to eat. She organized things to do by city, reached out to additional friends, and truly just went above and beyond in ways that really influenced our trip. One of our last stops and favorite memories was our visit to Arrowtown and The Blue Door, something we never would have done without her effort.
Thanks, Grace. I know I’ve definitely in passing told someone I’d send them restaurant recommendations and forgotten. And that's human. But what I learned from that is that when someone follows through with such passion and thoroughness on the little things, it elevates the entire relationship. That extra mile is the beauty in the personal follow through.
2/3. Well-being Weapons
License to Just Exist
“Let me tell you about the free zone.
Before my mom passed away, there was a ritual she and I would do anytime either one of us traveled. We were both embarrassingly cheap and wanted to get the most out of our trips, so we agreed that vacation started the moment that you walked through TSA and texted the other one 'freezone.'
The free zone is a liminal space in which you can drink a vodka tonic at 8:15 AM and lie down on the floor next to a newsstand to take a nap.
Where you don’t count money or calories and you’ll pay $7.99 for a $2.00 bag of trail mix you wouldn’t look twice at at the 7/11 down the street.
Where you don’t feel guilty for not touching that copy of The Obstacle Is the Way that you have taken with you on your past four trips and instead scroll through five years of your ex’s new fiancé’s Instagram.
Where the bar for someone being fascinating is simply being your age and within 15 feet of you.
The free zone is a space designed to kill time; you literally cannot screw it up. Besides, time has been killing you since the day you were born, so you deserve a little revenge.
Since mom has been gone, I don’t have anyone to text, but if you look close while I collect my things from the X ray machine, you can see me say it under my breath.”
The concept of a "free zone" is a powerful one for everyday wellness because it gives us a clear signal: permission granted. We are constantly feeling the pressure to be productive, but the free zone is where you drop that weight of expectation. It’s where you stop counting the minutes, the calories, or the money spent.
This space also gives you the comfortability to simply exist and observe, which is a great mental health break. Think about the quote’s observation about being instantly fascinated by someone our age within fifteen feet of us. I truly resonate with that. Have you ever looked at others and just thought how wild it is that their lives are so different, yet on a census, we’re just two similar numbers? The free zone allows you to appreciate that low stakes humanity without feeling the need to make the moment meaningful or productive.
We need to actively create these liminal spaces in our week. You do not have to wait for a vacation or an airport security line to grant yourself this license. What about carving out a "free zone" Sunday morning where the only rule is that you cannot be productive? What if you declared a "free zone" on a Friday night instead of trying to stick to a rigid plan?
The powerful act here is the use of a word to signal to ourselves that we are giving permission to just exist. Use this concept as a vital tool: create your own free zone where you literally cannot screw it up.
@blakeoftoday The free zone #grief #travel #storytelling
3/3. What’s Wowing Me: Weekly Obsessions
When you have a two or three hour layover in an international airport with duty free shopping…you obviously browse, right?
I thought it was a good chance to buy the Apple AirPods Max tax-free, but I fell in love with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones instead. I am obsessed with them.
I may look like a dork during the work day because I walk around with them perched on my shoulders, but they are quickly becoming a daily accessory because of how much I have been wearing them. The noise canceling is unreal, and the sound is fantastic. An impulse purchase I don’t regret
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