What’s Saving My Life Right Now, Spring 2019 Edition

WRITTEN BY Julie

It’s been two years since I wrote several posts about the things, big and small, that were saving my life. I didn’t come up with this idea but basically, instead of thinking about the things that are just killing me right now (poor water pressure, bad air quality, taxes), it’s nice to reflect on the things that are really just giving me a bit of life when I most need it.

Two years ago, when I was really on a kick thinking about this topic, my life was in a state of flux and I spent a lot of time self-soothing and trying to keep things in perspective. There’s nothing like a life crisis of sorts to make you truly appreciate your weekly family Skype calls. These days, I’m not in crisis mode, but there is a season change in the air, so I’m feeling that transition both outside and in.

While I list some of my most essential life savers, take a time to think about yours. It’s such a great place to spend some time.

A Perfectly Paced Weekend – There are few things that bring me more pleasure than a weekend that has just the right balance of things. A little bit of working out here, a little bit of cleaning and organizing there. A huge dose of chilled-out fun here, a mid-afternoon catnap there. Overindulgence here, resetting there. While everyone’s balance may be different, I know mine and spring is the best time for me to fully embrace all aspects of the perfectly paced weekend. Good weather helps, having friends around who feel the same way you do about mid-afternoon cocktails and an early bedtime helps, a binge-worthy show on Netflix helps. It’s all a balance, I’m telling you, and because I’m in Shanghai for the better part of two months without leaving, I’m getting in lots of practice. It’s a delight.

The 71 Bus – My commute to work has never been so easy. I’m not even exaggerating. We live about a block from this special express bus that travels along Shanghai’s main artery east-west. It has its own dedicated lane so it experiences no traffic ever. To get to work, I hop on the bus, take it three stops where it drops me off literally in front of my office building. Door-to-door from my apartment to my desk is about twenty minutes. That’s a record.

Shenzhen Bay border crossing

Fake Glasses – I got these glasses for Christmas that block UV light from the computer screen. I don’t wear prescription glasses, and I’ve long been someone who really loves the look of glasses, so fake glasses it is. I feel just a little more intellectual when I wear them, and maybe I work just a tiny bit harder. Drew thinks this is ridiculous, by the way, and he likes to remind me that this is my second pair of fake glasses so I clearly have a problem. (The first pair was in college when I was getting headaches from reading all the time. The glasses barely did anything but I remember the cute metal case and spending hours looking pointedly around the library hoping people would notice that cute and smart girl over there looking pensive.)

Weekly Rituals – My observation is that when people have kids, they start regimenting their life. Some of this is out of necessity (Saturday is cleaning day) but some is for fun (Friday pizza, Saturday date night, etc.). Without kiddos, that tendency to create routines just doesn’t happen as naturally. I mean, maybe Friday will be pizza but maybe we won’t feel like it and because we’re two adults, we’re allowed to change our minds on a whim. But let me tell you – those little routines can also be comforting and life-giving. My favorite is Saturday pancake day which we implemented when we moved to China. We make coffee and pancakes and we convert our living room couch into a bigger sofa bed. The couch has this expander which makes lounging that much easier but all weekend we have a bed/couch which we convert back to a couch/couch on Sunday night. Monday nights have also become special because it’s one of the only nights that we’re both consistently home without plans so we like to catch up on TV and make dinner at home. Because we now have a plan for Mondays, they’re always that much more special.

Using Precious Things – Just like everyone, I have some ‘really nice’ stuff that I hesitate to use. In addition to a fear about using up something I enjoy, I also have this added fear of running out of something I can’t easily access. It’s not great logic but it’s a hurdle nonetheless. When I remind myself to use nice things, I just get such a kick out of it. Recently I packed my gym bag with my nicest toiletries which makes going to the gym extra special. I’m also trying to not sweat the prospect of using up the last of the peanut butter/maple syrup/expensive import ingredient. There is always more where that came from.

My View – I have the best view in my entire office (except for the person with the exact same desk location in the floor above me). I can see three of Shanghai’s iconic towers and when the sun sets in the evening, the towers glow and the lights start up and basically it’s my own personal light show. Every single day. (Below, not quite my view but similar, and I can see all the same buildings.)