Happy Friday! Since summer seems to be zooming by for me at the speed of light (how is it August already??) in a blur of sunshine and salads and baseball and BBQs… I wanted to slow down the pace today with a little coffee break.
So pour yourself a glass of iced coffee, iced tea, or maybe your favorite sparkling water, and let’s chat!
If we were actually sitting across the table from each other in a coffee shop, I’d tell you about how…
I nearly canceled my trip home to visit my family a couple of weeks ago. Between recipe testing and photography for Amy’s Healthy Baking and teaching this 6-week course, I felt really pressed for time. (But I really do enjoy all of my work!)
My head, with its voice of logic and reason, told me to stay home. To use the weekend to work work work and play catch-up on my photography and lecture preparation. That voice almost sounded exasperated, reminding me over and over that I already felt a little stressed and should skip my weekend getaway.
And yet, the quiet whisper of my heart still encouraged me to get on the plane and fly home. Although not based on logic and reason and facts, like my head, my heart’s voice softly urged me to trust my instincts, take a little time off from work, and enjoy the fun weekend I had planned months ago.
Does that ever happen to you? Where your head staunchly proclaims one thing while your heart gently whispers another? Maybe for big decisions, but maybe for smaller everyday things, too?
I’m guessing I’m not the only one…
So I decided to listen to my heart. I flew home and spent the weekend looking through my family’s vacation pictures, going to a baseball game, playing with their dogs in the backyard, and savoring every bite of my dad’s amazing grilled BBQ dinner.
When I arrived back at my own house on Sunday night, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated… And ready to tackle the big pile of work waiting for me.
It takes courage and faith to make those head-or-heart decisions. Not necessarily the big grandiose versions that we glorify in super heroes or movie characters or larger-than-life celebrities… More often, it’s the everyday versions of courage and faith where we take a deep breath, try to get in tune with our intuitions, and take the first step down the path that feels a bit better than the other and just a little bit more right.
And when I turn around and look back through the lens of crystal clear hindsight… Following the path laid out by my heart is usually the right choice.
It isn’t always easy to follow that path… Especially when there are piles of work, chores, laundry, errands, and all of the other demands of daily life trying to pull us away from slowing down and tuning in to hear our hearts’ soft whispers.
But it’s something that I’m working on. It’s something that I’m practicing. And soon, I hope it’s something that becomes as natural as breathing. Because we could all probably benefit from slowing down and taking those deep breaths and living from our hearts… Right?
And in the meantime… Here are our incredibly sweet and loving dogs, thoroughly enjoying their best heart-led lives!
Hi Amy, really glad you chose to write this blog. I think this is a universal issue which youve highlighted, that conflict between head and heart, what feels right: the obligation vs what you feel you’d actually want to do. I’ve recently left my job, without having another one to fall back on, but I believed that this was the right decisionfor me at the time. It’s simply not worth getting so stressed about work, and I’m glad that you decided to visit back home. Spending quality time with family and friends is what’s really important, so I’m glad you listened to your heart! 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Kristin! I completely agree about this being a universal issue. I hope it’s something people are willing to talk about more in the future; it seems like we need to hear that it’s okay to follow our hearts instead of our heads sometimes! I’m so proud of you for taking that leap and leaving your old job because you felt it was the right thing to do. Not everyone has the courage to do that, so it’s really inspiring to hear your story! 🙂