Welcome to this week’s issue of Weekly Wellness Wisdom! 

What’s New from Centered Living

This fall I’ll be offering a series of tele-classes designed to enlighten and educate about Authentic Wellness.  I’m very excited to be introducing powerful ideas and strategies for becoming more centered, authentic and joyful.  Please stay tuned for more details in the weeks to come.

Weekly Wellness Wisdom is on its new weekly schedule.  Every Saturday you will receive the latest issue.  If for any reason, you don’t receive your weekly email, please email me at lori@loriboothroyd.com and we’ll help. 

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Wellness Wisdom Feature Article

Declare A Dog Day!

A Dog Day is my way of referencing the lazy dog days of summer.  This is a special way of spending time; it is almost a lost art!  This is a day, just for you.  What would a day look like with no schedule, no responsibilities, nothing to do but lay in the grass, contemplate the sky, and meander?  This week’s article encourages you to explore how a dog day (or even a dog moment) might look and feel for you. 

“Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise.” – Sophia Bedford-Pierce

How do you approach time?  I find we can learn a great deal about the passage of time through observing the natural world, especially the world of our canine companions.  The photo above is my personal favorite of a beloved family dog named Tripper.  He, and his dog brother Otis always teach me the value of slowing down, of simply Being. 

Slowing down and savoring time is essential to our sense of personal balance and wellness.  Often it feels like a luxury we cannot afford; I would suggest that the price we pay is much higher when we don’t honor our needs to slow down. 

What are some of the first steps in slowing down and creating a dog day?   Here are some simple suggestions to get you started! 

First, decide when your dog day will take place and for how long.  Would you like an entire day?  Perhaps more?  Or are a few hours enough to get your feet wet and sample what it feels like to slow down and do nothing?  Choose a date and a length of time for your celebration of the slow. 

Next, decide your parameters:  Will you turn off your cell phone?  Ban checking your email?  Would it be best for you to leave your home environment or can you create the space to unplug at home?  Consider leaving behind the use of ALL electronic devices (including the TV) during your dog day experience.  An exception I might recommend would be listening to some soothing music. 

Then, take a little time to prepare your intention.  What is the intention of your dog day?  To rest?  To reconnect with your spirit, to play, to laugh, to wander, to journal, or – what?  What calls to you?  Being clear on your intention will help you to make decisions as you create your dog day. 

Finally, make and keep your commitment to this dog day.  Vow to make it as important as all the other scheduled aspects of your life (because it truly is just as important).  Honor the time and remain open to what comes up as a result.  You may find it challenging to really slow down and be lazy… and that is okay.  Be prepared for some inner gremlins (those critical voices in our heads) who may challenge you and your choice to slow down and enjoy a lazy day.  If that happens, simply notice the gremlins, acknowledge them and then remind yourself of the intention you’ve set for the day.  Move forward.  Look to the dogs and other creatures in your environment who will teach you the wisdom of laziness. 

And above all, savor and enjoy!  Notice what happens after the dog day time is over… What has shifted in you and in how you approach daily life?  You’ll be amazed!

Personal Reflections

My Dog Day:  Savoring Laziness

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter… the dog days of summer are upon us, and I’ll remind you of a quote:  A wise man named Sam Keen once said “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability”.  I have often wondered about the negative connotation the word lazy brings in our culture.  What is the value of laziness?  I decided to savor a lazy day and find out for myself. 

I took an intentional Dog Day last week… and it was an absolute delight!  No email, no cell phone and no schedule.  I left my wristwatch on my dresser and began the day with a meandering walk.  I stopped and observed our fish swirling around for their breakfast.   I admired the flower gardens.  Essentially, I walked when I felt like walking and sat when I felt like resting.  I habitually looked down at my wrist a few times, checking the time and smiling to see my bare wrist, reminding me that time didn’t matter today.  I had breakfast when hunger set in… again in no particular rush.  And then I sat in a recliner under the shade of a tree and read a book I had no practical reason or rational to read.  Before lunch even happened, I had already dozed off in the chair and contemplated the clouds for a while.  Glorious!  

After lunch, my husband Greg and I took a drive to a quiet beach on Lake Michigan’s shore known only to locals as a great place to search for Petosky stones and other beautiful rocks (Lake Michigan’s equivalent to sea shells).  We beach-combed, waded in the chilly water and when hunger called again, found a little café near the beach.  I occasionally felt a few pangs of guilt, or some antsy-ness about what I needed to do.  By returning to my breathing and noticing what was in each present moment, those feelings passed.  I reminded myself that this was an intentional Dog Day, not procrastination or anything remotely self-defeating.  I wasn’t avoiding work, but rather embracing the bold act of doing nothing. 

After returning home, I played the piano (I didn’t practice anything, but just played whatever I felt like), then wrote for a while in my journal about the day and new thoughts that came to mind from the quiet time.  I was content, relaxed, grateful, and ended the day with a fabulous night’s sleep. 

What I noticed the next day was a return to my regular work schedule with renewed energy, enthusiasm and creativity, suggesting to me that the laziness was indeed time well spent.  I have concluded that laziness has gotten an unfair bad rap. 

May you have the intentional Summer Dog Day of your heart’s desire,

To your wellness,
Lori

About Lori

Dr. Lori Boothroyd is known as the “Coaching Psychologist”. She has served her clients and students well over the years through integrating her knowledge from earninga Ph.D. in psychology, as well as her advanced training in coaching and wellness psychology. Appreciated for her warmth and down-to-earth style as much as her expertise, Lori is a dynamic speaker, author and coach. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, Dr. Gregory Boothroyd.

For a complimentary coaching consult, to inquire about programs or to ask any questions, please email: lori@loriboothroyd.com