Saw It Coming

Good ol' Wednesday, there as the midweek milestone, the hump day in a normal 5-day slog, a beacon of hope for many who are clawing toward the weekend in desperate need of a breather, the clear divider for some between an overloaded front and lighter back end of the week. Ahh, yes, good ol' Wednesday.

Imagine the magician standing on stage proclaiming to the crowd that he will be placing his assistant in the box and miraculously sawing her in half. If the torso represents my front end of the week and the legs the latter half, then Wednesday was the saw that cleaved through the box and left a spacious gap in its wake.

In an otherwise great week, Wednesday was awful. It was one of those days where you bolt awake, having overslept, but still feel that drag of exhaustion cling to your body and mind, where your eyes burn with tiredness even though you slept a full 8 hours. It was one of those days where the mere thought of walking beyond the bare minimum to feed the cats or finish the chores has you groaning, let alone fulfilling your workout plans for the day. Mentally, you're no better. Your mind not only feels foggy but like it's been submerged in molasses, to the extent that your plans to write seem torturous. Even the chores seem more palatable. Oh, and did I mention there was an internet outage in your area?

Accustomed to these lulls, you remind yourself that everyone experiences burnout occasionally, to not sweat it if you don't successfully complete the tasks you slotted in for the day. Maybe you start to play a phone game to help yourself wake up, and hey, it seems to be working! Except just as you open your writing software to make some attempt at being productive, it's lunchtime, and you find your mind dulling once again. Oh, and the internet is still out.

Okay, well, if your eyes are burning, you'll take a post-lunch nap and tackle your to-do list afterward. Except an hour ticks by and you're still awake, unable to put your mind to rest even though there are no thoughts in particular keeping you up. Well, now it's just getting frustrating, because you only have a couple of hours left to check something off your list, but no, no, neither body nor mind are having it today. Internet back on yet? Nope.

You just have to give yourself a pitying pat on the back and hope that it won't bleed into the rest of the week.

Highly specific example using 2nd person that's most certainly not me projecting, not at all.

Okay, maybe a little bit.

A lot bit.

The whole--you know what, it happens. Blame the season, the weather, astrology, burnout; there are just some days where the only check you can make on your to-do list is taking care of yourself, which isn't written down much of the time, is it?

Go ahead. Saw out a day to take care of yourself. Just make sure you get yourself put back together again.

Other Notable Accomplishments:

• Saturday after posting my last blog:

  • Edited Cael's journal for the 30th of Uros

• Sunday:

  • Organized the kitchen utility drawer using baskets, jars, and pouches

  • The only day I did my Built With Science workout this week, 2nd lower body day with upped reps and lowered weight

  • 8k+ steps

  • Edited Cael's journal for the 31st of Uros

• Monday:

  • Cleaned the house & had Session 94

• Tuesday:

  • Fiancé had inventory & so left work early

  • Transcribed all of session 94, which was longer this time around

  • Couch to 5k: Week 4 Day 1 & 11k+ steps

    • Honestly, I think it was this and transcribing for 5 hours that did me in Wednesday

• Thursday:

  • Wrote but didn't finish Cael's journal for the 12th of Nudon

  • Meal planned for next week

  • Reviewed the week & planned for next

  • Walked 14k+ steps

• Today:

  • Finished writing Cael's journal for the 12th of Nudon; set it aside for later edits: ~2600 words

  • C25K: Week 4 Day 2

    • I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to jog, since I thought I may have re-sprained my ankle the other night, but it may have just been a pinched nerve???

  • 8k+ steps

Questions for Contemplation & Discussion:

• What day, in your experience, tends to be the saw that does you in?

  • Can you map out the tasks and projects leading up to that day? How likely is it that you overexerted yourself physically or mentally the day before or the days leading up to the one that wrecked you?

• There are many out there who would decry, "You just don't have any discipline!"At what point does "taking a day off" outside of normal days off become a lack of self-discipline? Is it not a strength to "know thy limits"? If you believe that to be naught but an excuse, what arguments underlie your reasoning?

This Week's Obligatory Cat Pic: Qiri & Salad