This morning, I opened my front door to reach around the doorframe and grab the mail out of our mailbox.

The icy wind almost knocked me off my feet.

I closed the door and went back to my office, empty handed.

Maybe later.

“That’s February in Connecticut,” you may be thinking.

But if you live here, you know that any day can deliver the season you’re in, the one you most recently left, or the one you’re headed toward.

Just two days ago, it was 60 degrees and I walked on the beach with my shoes off and the sun on my face.(Granted I was wearing a down coat, but it felt like springtime none-the-less.) 

And therein lies the rub.

For me, the approach of Spring is a “OH, YES!!!!!!” Which is quickly followed by an “oh, nooooooooo…”)

Dare I look in the full-length mirror, ignored all these months of sweaters and zoom calls?
Is there anything short and breezy that still fits after my long winter’s hibernation?

Good lord, have I done it again?

Although I ditched the self-loathing and battle with my scale years ago and know exactly what to do to avoid The March Horror, doing so requires attention, and once it gets cold, my attention tends to find other focus.

This friends, is the work of a devil we rarely see until it’s too late…

Complacency.

When you’re motivated by something internal (like your love of crisp linen capris) or external, (like the approach of summer) it’s easier to know where you stand.

You’re working toward your goal or you’re not – and appropriate adjustments can be made.

Complacency, on the other hand, is a snug little place where everything is just comfortable enough. 

Where it’s easy to focus on what you find easy to focus on. (For me that’s my work, reading and nighttime binges of historical fiction with Paul.)

Time passes unnoticed when you’re in this place.

Then out of nowhere, comes the “oh, nooooooooo….” Followed by the BOOM!

If you’re me, it means the full-length mirror can no longer be ignored – maybe it does for you too.

Maybe for you, complacency means you…

Still haven’t made those sales calls for your new business, or
Have yet to write one paragraph of the book you intended to complete this year, or
Are so Covid-isolated that you didn’t realize how lonely you are, or…

Where has complacency eaten away at your joy, your goals, or your wellbeing?

Where might you refocus your attention so you can feel the way you want to about yourself and about your life again?

I’m going back to Pilates.