Whats YOUR booster shot?

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We are due for boosters next year.

I say we because I’m always the one to bring the Child to the doctor and every damn time it’s so exhausting I feel as though I’ve endured the shot.

(At our last round she flung open the exam room door & ran down the hall shouting I’m going to the car! I’m leaving! When I mumbled to the nurse This must happen all the time. She looked me straight in the eye and said No.)

For that reason I began dreading our ’11 year boosters’ years ago.

The Child is already asking the exact number she’ll receive and where (“Arm? Butt? I must know!!”).

As a result I, too, have had boosters-on-the-brain since she turned double digits.

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Unstoppable–unless a syringe is involved.

I didn’t realize how much, however, until a text exchange with a friend.

My friend, whom I believe to be part mermaid, lives for her yearly trips home to Fiji.

She enjoys life away from the island, but her annual visits are a necessary infusion of energy.

They’re a jolt of life-source which sustains her throughout the remainder of the year…until she can return again.

A booster.

It was during our text-conversation, as we chatted about her upcoming travel, these thoughts snapped into place.

My friend is fine away from her fave place, yet these visits are a necessity for her to maintain mermaid status efficacy in all areas of her life.

Fiji is her booster shot. 

As we texted I grew a little envious of her.

hiking

could the outdoors in *general* be my booster shot?

How would it feel to be able to identify what provided the boost I required so I could return to my daily-life rejuvenated?  I wondered.

Outside of small intermissions I couldn’t think of an activity which served as my booster shot in the fashion Fiji did for my friend.

I asked myself:

I chatted with others and found some could immediately identify their “booster shot,” while others were more like I was.

I was obsessed and stumped.

Based on friends’ answers, I broke down the forms their booster shots took in an effort to uncover mine through this approach.

Health booster  This was a common response. Running, resistance training, yoga etc. All provided a needed boost of physical calm or energy.

Brain booster This was fairly common among my friends, too. Reading, learning, challenging ingrained notions in creative ways (AKA living outside the box).

Zen booster  While my friends didn’t use this term it definitely captures their answers. Making time to unplug. Choosing to prioritize day dreaming.  Meditative movement which isn’t traditional meditation. Getting outdoors.

Energy booster  Play. Play. Play. Movement and laughter with no other motivation than being in the moment of fun. Play begets energy for many of my people.

Connection booster  Formal planned gatherings. Spontaneous crappy get-togethers.  Seeking connection on a consistent basis in a variety of ways. Most of my extroverted friends identified connection as their booster.

kangoo jumps

Are my Kangoos my booster?

Spoiler alert: I’ve not found a definitive answer.

And yet, in the same way I strive to approach my life, the fact I’m seeking and exploring has already cause me to feel empowered and happy.

I’m confident I’ll eventually discover my booster (and I know in 6 months the Child will “discover” hers).

And you?

  • What gives you a needed boost when you question whether or not you can continue?
  • What do you look forward to when energy wanes because you know it’s the shot of life you require?

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Comments

  1. as I was leaving yoga class yesterday, a fellow yogi commented that she always feels so much better leaving. I said its kind of like we are stumbling out of the bar drunk but we’ve got the post yoga happiness booster. Activity usually gives me a booster for sure!

  4. I really want Fiji to be my booster as well.
    I obviously find it though all the physical activity but I love connecting once a month (if not more) with my aunts who are my surrogate moms. They keep me grounded.

    Also – my kids hide under chairs, try to run out of the room, scream and cry whenever they need shots so… It’s also so much worse b/c one has to witness the other before it’s their turn. Extra special twin torture.

  5. A run. It is exhausting and exhilarating and it helps me to feel like I can continue. A walk in the sun is calming and lets me get out of my head. A trip home to see my mom. Time with Alex

  6. I felt really run down recently. I love summertime, but with three kids out of school and camps so expensive I am not looking forward to it this year.
    I think I needed to see this today because I have no idea what my answer would be. When I find that I think my summer will be easier.

  7. It is cheesy but my booster shot is my family.
    Now I wonder if I am their booster shot??

  8. Running is my main booster shot. It’s what keeps me able to move forward. But when I really need a booster? I pack up the kids and go home to my parents. Some of it is just being with my parents, some of it is getting out of the DC area and being reminded that the rest of the world is not filled with Type A parents and that it’s possible to live a happy life even if you aren’t the valedictorian or the captain of the football team. It helps me realign my priorities.

  9. I love that you posted about this, so my way of thinking! I find that running helps give me energy, Shabbat gives me my family boost ( we are all unplugged and present), and getting together with friends from my blogging world, neighborhood world, biz world, give me that boost of connectivity. For the inner strength, the one that gets you out of bed when tired, that is from above!!!

    • We have gotten away from the SCREEN FREE SABBATH here….and I do think that would be a great boost (and is totally why the child and I added it back in for our mindful summer list). xoxo

  10. This is a great question. At first I would say spending time with my husband. Life gets so busy and the time we get to have together helps keep me going! Or maybe it’d be a good Netflix binge. Haha!!

    On another note, if it makes you feel better, I probably ran out of the door when I was younger too. I HATE shots/needles. The worst part of me giving birth was getting my IV put in lol

  11. Ha! I totally feel as Angela does when I leave the yoga studio. So why don’t I go more often?? Trail running is definitely one of my boosters.
    I too am dreading those 11 yr boosters. I’ve had plenty of incidents at the doc with my kids. Back in the day my mom needed to pry my brother out from under a car in the office parking lot. ;p

    • OH THANK YOU for sharing that about your brother. it normalized my whole doctor’s visit life… 🙂

  12. Running? Or Starbucks? If I can run, the Starbucks is less important. If I can’t the Starbucks is a good substitute. Not for the caffeine, but for the ritual.

  13. A really good question Carla – I’m not sure what mine is either – maybe for me it’s more about living a life that is whole hearted enough to not need a booster shot (you know when you reach the stage where everything is as up-to-date as you can get). Hopefully I’ll recognize it if my levels go down and know what I need to boost them back up again. A thought provoking post!!

  14. I love this and it makes me realize that I require several different booster shots throughout the year.

    -Workouts: If I go too long without lifting something heavy, I go a little nuts.
    -Visits to NC: Being almost 1,000 miles from my family is hard. I don’t love the small town I grew up in, politically, but I need that time with my parents. Joe has even realized this and will sometimes say, “Maybe you should plan a trip home.”
    -Random trips: About once a year I get the feeling I just *have* to go to NYC or somewhere else nearby. Sometimes I go alone and sometimes with Joe. I just have to get away from my day to day routine. It’s how I unplug.
    -Puzzles: I need these to keep my problem-solving sharp. I sometimes feel like my brain is shrinking (haha, only a small exaggeration) and realize in those times I need a boost of something challenging.

    • ok so many of you are saying puzzles. perhaps that’s what I might try? IM SO SO SO NOT KIDDING that I feel my brain shrinking. it’s expanding in the realm of 4th grade math—but thats it right now 🙂

    • I love how insightful you are on your own blog too….you are able to step back there and here and see OK SO THIS WORKED REALLY WELL BEFORE. IT ISNT NOW. I NEED TO SHIFT COURSE. xoxo

  16. Yes to all of this. I need so many boosters. I don’t take care of myself enough to ensure that I get them all, though. Point made and taken here. I need to look at my own boosters and remember their importance.

    I especially love the categories. I need to copy them and print them out – hang ’em up at my desk!

  17. My booster is helping others. And being in nature. And always being with my husband, son, cats and good friends. Your cup runneth over with boosters, my friends. Blessings for sure!

  18. I’m a trying to type of a sensible comment, but that image of the needle has me shook. Needles…GAH! (and ya, I can comment again.) It’s like magic.

    • (((whispers))) I hate using stock photos so the ten year old drew the needle!!

  19. I would have to say that taking the canoe out on the weekends in my booster shot, thankfully it’s a whole lot less painful. There is something about being out in the middle of the water that just makes me instantly rested and recharge.

    • OH! That sparked me to think, too, as out on Lake Austin on a standup paddle in solitude?? THAT COULD BE MINE!

  20. Life in New Zealand with my husband. We need it. Yearly. Our booster for sure! in marriage and mental health.

    Now I need to try those shoes!

    Ps I hope you are well. Miss chatting with ya! Text me anytime you need a boost! Xxoo

    • I love your answer as it is travel AND AND AND connection. I adore your bond with him and how you support each other unconditionally. <3

  21. Zen – time away by myself, or even home by myself. Unstructured, unregimented time in which I need do nothing and can do anything. No people, no phones, no internet preferably. I love if it’s outdoors – I need that time in nature – but it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to be quiet, alone, and mine to decide how to spend.

    Connection – meetings or chats with friends, be it in person, by phone, text, email, Skype. It doesn’t really matter. They may be short, they may be long, they may be meaningful or silly or just chatting, but they energize me. They anchor me to my life and remind me that I’m not an island, I’m not isolated, I’m not *really* trying to get through all this craziness and chaos by myself.

    And of course, the biggest and most energizing is writing, which I’m not sure how to define. Brain booster, I guess, though it doesn’t really feel that way. It’s kind of a combination of brain and Zen for me, I think. 🙂

    • We chatted about this yesterday too but I was pondering it last night. I think my boost may really be a writing retreat (planned and looked forward to for that extra anticipation boost as well) without a friend but WITH OTHER PEOPLE AROUND…

  22. My booster is writing and connecting with people. I also feel years younger just
    being around my grandchildren. And if I need a physical boost I speed walk or garden. Thanks, Carla.

  24. My booster is family time. I live 1500 miles away from my family, and now one of my sons goes to school 700 miles away, so planning family time takes time and energy, but it’s my booster for sure.

    • I love love love that. And it is a reminder I needed as well as I sit down this morning to map out and plan out a trip to see family. YES TIME. YES ENERGY. YES YES YES SO WORTH THE BOOST.

  25. SOOOOOOOOOO complicated for me! I am short of time & this is on my think list right now as I head into a few days away from social media for the most part. A little Instagram but that is it for the most part depending on mytime. A big question in my life right now – the questions you asked at the end. xoxo

  26. For day to day, doing a crossword or other type of thinking puzzle. For year to year, my get-away every fall with my friends. No matter what, i can look forward to that get-away, it makes today’s work worth it.

    • YES. I need to pre-plan a trip as well. I was just reading an article yesterday about how it is the ANTICIPATION of trips which really boosts us (!). Sure the experience is great 🙂 but it’s the ‘looking forward to’ which really gives us a lift.

  27. Running is certainly a booster for me. Connection with friends- a girls night out (or girls weekend, but those don’t happen often). Time at the beach. My back deck on a summer evening with a glass of wine.

    I’m also dreading the next round of 11 yr boosters – my son has been known to make a break for it too!

    • Ok you have me starting to feel CHILL and RELAXED just READING the words back deck on summer evening. I need to get outside more at night—even if it is still in the 90’s

  28. My large, ex-military husband hates needles. His Mom is a nurse and when he was a kid, she ended up having to give him most of shots; I believe this was after he punched a doctor. I think the punch was an accident because he was flailing around, but he’s a large man and he was a big strong kid.

    • OH SEE? now Im counting my blessings my strong toddler of a girl never punched a doc 🙂 although she did once punch MY MOM in the same sort of scenario. Id forgotten that until your comment!

  29. AM run/bike in the dawn hours before the sun peaks over the mtns. or swim for body and mind. Contact with preschoolers (those KNEE hugs!) for heart and soul. Team time with co-workers for my brain boost. Quiet time sewing/reading or lunch and shopping with daughter….there are too many things I enjoy so never find myself saying “I can’t”…

  30. cooking one of my MawMaw’s recipes. It’s utterly soothing and grounding. It’s essentially poor people food, making the most of what she had available to her, but it’s necessary. It’s delicious. It’s home.

  31. The cabin where my Dad lives is my booster shot. Music is my booster shot. They come in and dust out the cobwebs and fill them with light and colour for when I go back to regular life 🙂

    • I know the music really could be it for me as well. My clarinet has been calling…

  32. I can think of two…one is running. Running three times a week with my group is HUGE for me. It just completes me in a way that is hard to describe to non-runners or people who don’t have that sort of sporty thing.
    The other is animals. I LOVE animals and they always make me happy and are a comfort for me. There’s a connection with those furry and feathery creatures that I have and I can only describe it as a gift from God. 🙂

    • LOVE BOTH OF THOSE. I get the animal one…and I seek/long/almost wish I ran 🙂 for the other.

  33. Exercise is definitely my energy booster. Vegas thinks I’ve nuts, but workout out actually gives me a huge boost when I’m dragging.

    My sanity boost is travel. I love seeing new places and getting out of my box. It’s refreshing and centering.

  34. I don’t know what mine is either Carla. I can relate to some of the responses you’ve received and know that being around like-minded people (bloggers and writers) can make me feel energised.

    But as an introvert, alone time – reading and soaking up television – can also assist.

    I wonder if others could answer this for us. When you mentioned it I expected you to talk about Miss 10, Charming and play, for example… I wonder what others would say about me and it’s a reminder that we live only part of our lives online….

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