Press Reset

Every Sunday I press the reset button. On myself.

This is something new to me.

I started taking a day off a week, when I realized I was going non-stop and it was taking me nowhere I wanted to be. The proverbial candle being burnt at both ends, brain fried, feet on the the earth no longer grounding. The heart left dry in the middle. Not a place to be, for sure.

So I decided to start practicing what they teach you in flight attendant training in case of a fire; to stop listen and feel: kinda what they tell you in kindergarten before crossing the street: stop, look, and listen or something to this effect. I took time to evaluate the situation, to ponder upon the effects of it, and explore different options to change what was not serving me. 

I asked myself, why do you feel so spent at the end of the week, a fire dying down? And above all, what can you do to change this, Elena? On a daily basis I listen to people from all walks of life and different parts of the world, talk about their struggles. My responsibility is to do what I can to help them overcome their difficulties and ultimately fully appreciate this incarnation. Don’t get me wrong, please, I love what I do! It is such a privilege to have humans trust you with their mental and physical well-being. It’s an honor, really. And one that I take very seriously. Recharging for my body, mind, and heart is paramount for me to serve others to the best of my capacities. Divine Grace, thank you. Like plugging your device into the electrical outlet to get it going again. Do you know what I mean? 

I have always had very strong work ethics. I started working when I was sixteen. Summer baby-sitting jobs, French tutoring, promotions in supermarkets, secretarial responsibilities, all while going to school. My sense of responsibility is very high, I demand a lot from myself, which is not always a warm and fuzzy type of feeling. If I say I do something I will make sure to keep my promise no matter what. So if you tell me you’d like to practice with me I’m going to welcome you with open arms and heart.

Except on Sundays, though. This is the day I have now given to myself to do nothing. Not a thing. Zero. In Italian we call it “il dolce far niente” the sweet doing nothing, something Italians are very good at it. The pleasure of enjoying life. The glorious being in your own company. The majestic just being. Although let me tell you I used to dread Sundays. Growing up it was my least favorite day of the week. The fact alone that all shops were closed was enough to bring my level of anxiety off the roof. I could not be left in solitude not even an hour, imagine a whole day! as at that time is was synonymous of loneliness. That was definitely unbearable. A type of self inflicted torture. Oh, hello pain body. 

I remember checking in with the dark hole in my heart as I was pondering about the fact I had nothing to do and nowhere to be for a whole day and omg, my mind did not like that. Like telling a two year old to stay still and quiet, hands on the lap, just breathe. Fast forward to today when I look forward to spending the day in silence as much as possible, away from humans, in the company of my two pups, who seem to be waiting for this time together so we can go on longer walks and they can run away a little bit farther. As I told you before Huskies have a mind of their own, although so far so good they have always come back. The mountains are so glorious here! The temperature is perfect, and I apologize If you are sweating profusely right now with me making you a little bit jealous. 

So now, it’s your turn. Tell me, do you have a specific time during the week in which you unplug?

What do you do recharge?

I look forward to reading your answers. After all, we are all in this together.

Thanks for reading❤️