Usually, after a Comic Con or event weekend, I try to take a day off to recover. Today, I can’t, so I’ve got to power through and do my best. I’ve been thinking a little about what that means - doing my best. Over time, my relationship to that so-called motivational saying has changed. It used to feel like a lot of pressure, like I had to show up at the top of my game everywhere, all the time - in school, at work, as a parent. But, if I reframe my understanding of the idea, doing my best can feel like self-care, or at least like a realistic, healthy approach to where I’m at in the moment.

Today, my best means paring down my schedule to the absolute essentials. It means giving up on the idea of getting to the gym. It means asking for help to off load some of my errands. Other days, my best looks really different. When I’m feeling good, I get a lot done, from the laundry, to meeting my daily word count, to a workout, to blasting through my to-do list.

I think what I’ve come to understand is that doing my best should feel nurturing and satisfying, not stressful - whatever that means on any given day.

“Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.” - Don Miguel Ruiz

I’ll be at the Tapped Apple tonight at 6:30 pm with author Mike Squatrito reading and signing books. They’ve got great apple wine and hard cider, so if you’re local, come on down!