When our children were young, my husband traveled frequently for his career.

I distinctly remember feeling jealous because of his frequent nights in hotel rooms that I imagined were luxe and so comfy, as he enjoyed delicious dinners out with colleagues while I picked at the leftovers remaining from the kids’ mac and cheese and hotdogs.
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But, here’s what I know to be true now… now that I have introduced significant travel to my own work life:

I’ve realized there is really nothing glamorous about work-related commute schedules.

Another thing I know to be true is that my life is too short to have spent one more minute employed. My decision to go to a full-time consultancy in 2022 was both terrifying and exhilarating. This quote comes to mind when I think back to that decision: "Can’t believe I have one wild and precious life, and I’m spending it terrified to answer an email." -Ely Kreimendahl

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As I launched my consultancy, many of my clients have not been local to my home, and in 2024, I spent a majority of my work hours on projects away from home. During my exploration of how to best care for myself through this commute life, I decided to anchor my self-care in the concept of delight.

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I hope delight eeks into every possible moment of every day. I want to focus on not losing track of myself. The way that my delight is woven into my daily life is through the sometimes small decisions and choices. One example is intentionally choosing a rental car company that offers a generous rewards program and tons of choices. I get so much joy and delight in choosing which vehicle I want to drive each week (and I always prioritize a sunroof!).

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Another example? The way I make decisions about my food consumption and movement practice. Whether I order in advance from the grocery store to cook in my airbnb, or walk to the grocery to also get some movement in, I experience true delight when I have home-cooked meals while on the road.

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Something I’m still working to improve is my sleep and rest. My magnesium cream goes everywhere with me, and I’m obsessed with the sleep podcast ‘Nothing Much Happens Here’ to lull me to sleep.

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The old adage of not being able to care for those around us, if we’re not taking care of ourselves is so true. I’m no good to anyone inside of my interim / organizational health work if I’m exhausted, stagnant, & craving healthy food, refusing to move my body, not sleeping, etc.

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Delight and caring for yourself can intersect in the workplace by experimenting with slow mornings (no meetings before 10am!), by asking folks to keep meetings to 30 minutes, or by encouraging staff to prioritize personal boundaries with their cell phones.

At the end of this year, I want to robustly say that all of this rest, delight, and intention was not a fluke.”

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So, have you?

Have you rested with intention?

Are you prioritizing your self-care?​
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⭐️ listen to my podcast on the topic of ritual, practice, and capacity

⭐️ listen/watch this beautiful song called Winter Solstice on the topic of needing rest and as Donata sings: "I need some light, I need some quiet time."

⭐️ watch the corresponding video on this topic (and while you're there, will you give it a like and consider subscribing?)

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