Eat, Play, Sleep
“What do you do for fun?” she asked.
“I, well, I, um . . . well my husband and I go out to dinner almost every Friday night,” I replied hopefully.
Silence.
“And we really love to take a ride out in the country to visit our favorite vineyard. Just last year we picked these amazing antique apples there . . . Black Diamond, yes. Have you ever tasted an antique apple?”
My voice trailed off. Her soft smile wrapped me in a look of knowing.
She knew me.
She probably knew that on my lap, on our country ride, sat a pile of articles, papers, posts and projects. Maybe even a laptop.
Probably even a magazine or two, snagged from a pile of unopened glossy-covered promises. Oh no, don’t cancel that subscription; I’m going to read those someday. Every last one of them. Yes, when I’m not quite so . . .
BUSY.
For me, busy is a way of life. I suspect I’m not alone. Like many women I work with, it takes more than a loving conversation with a trusted mentor to illuminate the devastating effects of an all-work-no-play persona.
For me, it took a crash.
Actually it took two crashes. First, my own health. It showed up in a routine bone scan, but it was more than osteoporosis mingling with adrenal exhaustion frosted with Hashimoto’s Thyroid disorder. Who is Hashimoto and what is he doing in MY BODY?
The health issues were scary but it took an even bigger wake-up call to get me to slow down and incorporate a little more “play” into my life.
It was my father.
My beautiful, generous, effusive father.
One day he was my loving, LARGER-THAN-LIFE dad, who talked so much we could barely get a word in. And the next day, he was gone.
No. He didn’t die. At least not in the physical sense.
He simply fell into an abyss. The weight dropped. Skin hung from his bones in folds. The spring in his step became a shuffle. The impatience in my mother’s voice grew deafening, “Pick up your feet when you walk.” “Sit up.” “Drink some water.” “Eat, for God’s sake, eat.”
I found myself grieving the death of a man who hadn’t yet passed. I was grieving the death of his spirit, his joie de vivre, the pride that sparkled in his eyes when we talked. I was grieving for all the words I wish I had spoken when his mind was clear
and open
and waiting to hear from me. “Drop us a line,” he would say when we parted ways after a visit.
I no longer travel with a pile of articles in my lap. The magazines? Maybe. If there’s a luscious article to read or a recipe I’ve been meaning to try.
So my tip is simply: Eat, Play, Sleep. And be present for your loved ones. Because life is short, time is precious and “busy” simply doesn’t serve us.
Sue Ann Gleason, founder of Conscious Bites Nutrition, is a Washington, DC-based culinary nutritionist, dynamic eating psychology coach, speaker, and writer. Her entertaining, cutting-edge articles on nutrition, healthful living, the psychology of eating, and the blissful benefits of chocolate have appeared in various publications as well as her own eco-friendly blog: www.ChocolateforBreakfast.com
Visit her website to check out her upcoming program: Inner Circle Body Wisdom Boot Camp.
2 of the 3 of these I’m working on more thanks to you, Sue Ann: eat and sleep! sacred gifts of Self kindness I have been all too stingy with. Play is one coming up for me now, too. So funny you opened this with “What do you do for fun?” … b/c a couple of people asked me the same thing recently and I realized I didn’t have an answer that really suited me.
So now Eat, Play, Sleep it is!
Cris recently posted..Leaving Stucksville: a “No Hate” Update (wk.1)
I love that, Cris. What do you do for fun? Eat, play, sleep. Maybe even in that order, yes?
Oh wow – I seriously needed to hear that Sue – three practitioners have told me that I needed more fun in my life, as my life (and now of course my body) are completely imbalanced…
PERFECT TIMING
xDenise
Denise Duffield-Thomas recently posted..How to stay positive when you’re surrounded by negative a**holes
So true!!! ‘Eat, Play, Sleep. And be present for your loved ones.’ So important but often overlooked! I believe I enjoy painting because it helps me be present in the moment for myself. ‘Self love is not so vile a sin as self neglect’ – Shakespeare, Henry V
XXOO
Lazarus recently posted..This Revolution Will Be Televised
So pleasantly put, Sue Ann. I’ve gone down that road of magazines and papers and all around busy-ness. It can be a trap. But I’ve learned to live in the moment more and more and be present to loved ones. I’m not sure why having more fun has been a struggle but I’m more conscious of it. Eat. Play. Sleep. So important!!
I am SO glad you shared this, Sue Ann… wise words and life-changing advice. Thank you.
Excellent advice, thank you.
Eating, playing and sleeping! The three things that I enjoy the most, and do indulge with family and friends, well, that is the magic of the season! Thank you so much for the reminder to be present ALL the time, while we enjoy the above.
nasrine recently posted..Intellect Event Guide This Week
Can you hear me clapping?!?! Yes – being present, playing, and taking care of ourselves is the absolute best way to serve the world in my opinion.
When you take care of yourself (which can be seen as “selfish” — especially if, god forbid, you are a wife, mother, teacher, daughter, etc.), you give others permission to do the same. You reflect your inner light and joy. You love yourself, and therefore you love everyone.
Selfish = selfless = selfish = selfless. A never ending cycle of presence and love.
Emelie Rota recently posted..Would someone please clean that up?!
Having known you for over 20 years, I really hope you are taking your own advice, Sue Ann, to basically, stop and smell the roses! Always the multi-tasker….
I love this article. After 15 years as a hospice worker I can absolutely agree that “eat, play, sleep” is a wonderful format in which to live your life! And I see Sue Ann accomplish so much in a playful and full way….I really want to embrace that way of living much more in my life. Thank you for reminding me of what is so important.
“One day he was my loving, LARGER-THAN-LIFE dad, who talked so much we could barely get a word in. And the next day, he was gone.”
This cracks me open and leaves my heart weeping… exposed in its raw exquisite LIFE, ripped away from the one it loves. I cry out! WHY?!?! And yes, it does slap me awake to the one precious life I have to live… and… awaken to the precious ones around me.
I weep for you… weep for me. And live. Thank you for this Jewel.
Sue Ann, you are the ONE to correct the outstanding problem. Go to it! JN
You are the ONE to correct the outstanding problem. Go to it! JN
You are the ONE to correct the outstanding problem. Go for it! JN
I love to eat. I love to play. I love to sleep. Perfect.
So often as I compulsively check my email AGAIN I’ll hear the voice of my daughter trying to get my attention. I’ll wonder how many times she had to repeat herself before I even heard her. I’m working on putting down the ever-alluring electronics so that I can be present for my loved ones.
Three of my favorite things: eating, playing, and sleeping. (Of course, there are a couple of others … but this is a “PG-rated” board!) God’s gifts for helping us to offset the more serious and debilitating grievances that can become baggage too heavy for us to carry or bear.
May we all keep each other accountable for more play dates!
Thank you for stopping by and sprinkling some love on this post. . .
Sue Ann always gives me much food for thought. Thank you!
Wise words to start the new year or for any time, Sue Ann. Busyness is like a badge of honor in our society: if you’re not busy you’re not valuable, important, whatever. Sorry it took some rough spots for that message to resonate for you but congrats on the work you’re doing as a result.
Loved your website http://consciousbitesnutrition.com. FYI, the link to Chocolate for Breakfast here is pointed incorrectly.
I’m in Arlington, VA so maybe our paths will cross some time. Best wishes for 2012!
Eat, sleep and loving the play part.
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