It’s half term for River. After our big trip over the weekend, to visit Warwick Castle, he’s chosen to spend today building his new Lego set. That’s his plan and strategy for the whole day, and you know I’m pretty sure he’s made the right decision.
I started my own last Lego set at Christmas, and it’s still sat, unworked upon, on my desk, ever since. Probably I need to block out some time in my diary.
As ever, it’s about balance: unlike River, I cannot afford to dedicate a full day to my Lego. Or my ailing tomato plants, the garden gate that needs fixing, or the 750 page biography of Hamilton staring accusingly at me from the side table.
But equally, I could probably be more deliberate in how I spend my time. If I don’t focus on the balance myself, it’s unlikely that anyone else will do it for me.
Having a full day for Lego is probably the luxury of the five year old, but being more engaged in our own balance and wellbeing, albeit for smaller fragments of time, may be an investment in our overall happiness and effectiveness.
Use your sixty seconds today to consider this: if you had fifteen minutes for your own balance, how would you spend it?
All answers are valid: my backup answers would be ‘searching for the chocolate cookies’, ‘resting my eyes in the sunshine’, and ‘finding photos and a nice WhatsApp message to send to an old friend’.
If we do not focus on self, we cannot focus on others.