Winterizing My House

Fixing Broken Windows, Raking Fallen Leaves

If you read Carla’s blog as regularly as I do, you may recall her post about broken windows, and you still may be pondering her post about falling leaves. Carla’s posts are like that. They seem simple on the surface, but weeks (months?) later I realize that she has wormed her way into my psyche and I am thinking about things in a different way.

I am recovering from a hectic fall with way too much business travel and way too many dinner meetings, and trying to restore some semblance of “life” back into my work-life balance. As I see my husband winterizing our house, I realize that I need to winterize myself, and start taking care of myself before the hectic, stressful holiday season arrives.

While it is easy to spot a real broken window, it’s not always easy to identify the type of broken windows Carla wrote about. What are the signs that you are falling off the wagon (whatever wagon you are on)?

I’ve made no secret of my love for Starbucks. I usually brew Starbucks at home, and rarely buy it at work. When I travel, though, most of my receipts are from Starbucks. I will find the closest Starbucks for breakfast, and hope it is convenient enough to sneak out for a mid-afternoon coffee break.

Chicago Starbucks Map

New York City Starbucks Map

With all of my trips over the past six weeks (Boston, Chicago, New York, Chicago, New York), I got used to my daily Starbucks. I got so used to it that now that my travel schedule has settled down I find myself missing Starbucks.

Is this Starbucks craving a broken window? Is it a sign that I am still trying to do too much? That I am reaching for caffeine when I should be focusing on getting more rest? Or is it just a simple indulgence? A tall bold coffee doesn’t cost that much, and a splash of Half and Half doesn’t add that many calories to my daily intake.

When I first read Carla’s post, I commented that hitting the snooze button in the morning was a “broken window” for me—a sure sign that I needed to get to bed earlier. But this week, as I hit the snooze button almost every day, I wondered if it was a warning sign, or if it was a healthy choice. Choosing to snuggle with my husband for a few minutes or choosing to enjoy a few more minutes of quiet before I face the day can be a good thing. (But I still need to get to bed earlier).

I’ve also been looking around my life for fallen leaves that are ready for raking. What healthy habits have served their purpose and are no longer helpful?

I gave up calorie-counting long ago. While I needed to track my food when I was losing weight and learning how to eat more healthfully, it doesn’t work for me any more. I get too wrapped up the numbers and either finish food I don’t want because otherwise I don’t know how to count it, or fight against real hunger because I don’t have room for another snack in my calorie budget. While tracking my food served me well at one time, now it undermines my efforts to make healthy choices more intuitively.

But that’s a healthy habit I let fall away long ago. What leaves are dangling off my healthy living tree now?

On my last trip–before I read Carla’s post–I had second thoughts about my habit of packing snacks when I travel.

I know it makes sense to pack healthy snacks when I am going on a business trip, especially if it saves me from eating airport food or the giant cookies they serve at meetings. But I started to wonder whether packing so many snacks–enough to get me through as many days as I will be gone–crosses the line into unhealthy obsession. It’s not like I can’t get a healthy snack at Starbucks, and I’ve even seen Chobani® at the airport.

Maybe it’s time to let go of my bag of healthy snacks … as long as I can keep some chocolate in my purse!

Do you pack healthy snacks when you travel?

Are you winterizing your house before the holidays?