Well-being at any age?

Well-being at any age? Certainly! And I was going to grab my opportunity while I had it; quiet time is a rarity on my crazy little planet. More so this summer. Twenty minutes to myself – extraordinary! How would I take advantage? A hot interlude in the late afternoon sun, on the little deck overlooking my overrun courtyard? Great thought; no lover nearby.

C’est la vie. The sun was warm, the sky – a piercing shade of blue. And all this quiet for twenty entire minutes! I knew it would have the same effect as a day trip to the spa. I’d just set aside the running list of tasks in my head, close my eyes, and bask in these uninterrupted moments.

What is well-being?

Well-being has to do with feeling content, with a sense of mind and body working together. It is about health and healthy endeavors. Could it really be as simple as 20 minutes of sunlight and privacy, of blue sky and silence? And perhaps a fantasy or two?

Healthy fantasy, healthy life?

I wonder if it’s possible for each of us to identify the little things that add quality to our lives. My everyday life makes no allowance for resorts or trips to a spa, and staying healthy is a challenge when juggling kids and projects and always too little sleep. But what if my mental health were moved up the priority list? Not just healthy eating whenever possible, but healthy thinking, dreaming, and even fantasizing?

Living a quality life sometimes seems elusive; finding ways to feel whole and content require time and money, right?

Alone time, for health and well-being

For many, “alone” time is precious, and nourishing, and essential to health and well-being. Particularly for women – it’s what we are missing, with jammed schedules involving family, relationships, work, household. Perhaps your quiet moments include yoga, meditation, massage or workouts as part of your routine. But when life gets too hectic, even those activities slip away.

Of course, part of our alone time may include fantasizing – about our lover who may be out of town, the guy (or girl) next door…  Or, if we’re fortunate enough to have a love interest, well-being may involve doing anything with the person in your life.

Here are a few things that promote my sense of well-being:

• Sunshine on my skin, even for 20 minutes
• Fireflies; they offer a shimmering sense of childhood
• Benjamin Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
• Heart-stopping art – more names than I could mention here
• Biting into a luscious, juicy piece of fresh fruit on a summer’s day
• A real night’s sleep
• Impeccably painted toenails – ruby red
• The first cup of coffee – strong and black
• A balcony, to sip that coffee, preferably in Paris (and with a lover)
• Speaking French, anywhere (preferably with a lover)
• Morning writing (lover nearby)
• Watching great tennis (preferably with a lover)
• Flirting, full of wordplay (yep, you got it).

Your well-being list?

Just thinking of these things makes me smile. Some are fleeting; many are accessible every day, when I make a point of insisting on them. Do you know what would be on your well-being list? Do you realize how much healthier you might be – if you thought not only of your run, your workout, but your mind’s freedom to dream?

Perhaps this is the key to well-being at any age – identifying small things that afford us a moment to “be,” as well as more significant activities – and relationships – that bring us pleasure and serenity.

If so, I’ll find my well-being again, soon. And hope that those I love will find theirs as easily.