Surviving the swelter

Carey & Millie, front seat of the mule, begging for someplace to go

It’s the thickest kind of heat in Texas right now. The kind that doesn’t move. The kind that makes being outside miserable. That sucks the air out of your lungs the moment you open the door.

No breeze, no break just a hot, heaviness pressing in from all sides.

This is the season when I’ve got every fan in the house running (much to my sister’s dismay), because the humidity seeps into everything. And I crave the movement.

What I’ve learned over the past few summers sweating this out is: forward momentum creates the breeze.

It doesn’t take much. But whether it’s feeding cows, walking the dogs, or riding in the mule just the act of moving makes it bearable. At least enough to swelter on.

I’ve started to see this elsewhere too. In work. In leadership. In life.

Stagnation that wears me down. The waiting. The overthinking. The need to perfect it before we begin. It exhausts me.

But a small step forward?

It shifts the air.

It opens up space.

It reminds me I’m still in it and can get through whatever it is. One step, one hour, one day at a time. Forward momentum is progress. 

So if you’re stuck, start.  It doesn’t have to be fast.

Doesn’t have to be pretty. 

Just move. 

The breeze will find you.

Or, if all else fails…take Junebug’s advice and find a pond. And bring friends. She’s wise in that way.

cross posted from LinkedIn