I am currently living through a classic case of “be careful what you wish for.” After complaining about boredom, I now find myself flat out: work is busy, the social calendar is packed, the dog still needs walking, and domestic dross—most notably an ankle-deep flood after heavy rain—refuses to handle itself.
Even small luxuries aren’t safe. A recent manicure, which I had optimistically earmarked as “relaxing,” turned into a stress-fuelled hour and a half, spent juggling messages and emails with no hands-free solution in sight. Not quite the zen experience advertised.
That said, I am very aware this is a fortunate kind of chaos. Life is good, and I am lucky to have a wonderful circle of friends. The past few weeks have been a blur of leaving parties, happy hours, birthdays and long, languid lunches. There’s a pool party and Sunday lunch on the horizon, and more invitations than I can reasonably justify accepting—but will, of course.
Work, too, is busy in the best way. Loyal clients continue to return, and thanks to changes in UK labour law coming into effect next week, “urgent” has taken on a whole new meaning.
The only real excess, if we’re being honest, has been consumption. More bottles of rosé than I care to count, alongside grilled lamb, roast duck, creamy dauphinois, BBQ everything, and crispy wings—each meal accompanied by a generous helping of zero restraint. The bill for all this generosity is now looming in the form of upcoming hosting duties to repay the many kindnesses we’ve enjoyed.
Miraculously, I’ve navigated it all hangover-free, but I am reminded of an earlier foray into moderation (which, at the time, felt annoyingly virtuous but undeniably effective). It’s probably time to revisit that experiment. A small reset—better sleep, less bloating, and perhaps a bit of incidental weight loss—feels overdue.
Realistically, I know myself well enough to avoid grand declarations. So instead: two to three dry days a week. Manageable, vaguely responsible, and just about achievable.
Two down. One to go. Next week’s workload—and its unforgiving deadlines—may prove surprisingly helpful.
Not Quite Settled 
Please share your thoughts and experiences.