Longform Content Relationships

Storytime with Ruby

Has this ever happened to you?

You reach out to a friend to hang out.

One week later you meet up at a cute, local coffee shop mid-morning on a Friday.

You both get a chai latte and a little treat.

You sit outside because it's perfect 70 degree weather and overcast.

Your friend is easy-going and kind, and you both have a wide array of interests you talk about as you snack on your ham and cheese croissants.

(Probably sounds pretty normal so far, right?)

Time passes.

No one checks their phone.

Y'all keep yapping, happily.

Family, anatomy, astrology, grief, memories, recent travels, future plans...

Eventually the energy shifts; you both desperately need water, and it naturally feels like time to move your bodies and move on with your days.

You finally check your phone.

(Are you ready for this?!)

It's been 3 hours. 

But no one is late.

There's no rush.

It's not an emergency that time has passed.

You hug and part ways with a "Let's get together again next week!"

This happened to me a few days ago, and it was the highlight of my week.

One of my favorite parts of the last month has been long-form interactions like this one.

In case you missed it: Jake (my husband) and I left Colorado at the beginning of August and now almost everything we own is in storage and we're drifting around with family and friends through the end of the year.

I've been able to spend quality time with people in a way that I have desperately missed!

While it can sometimes be necessary, it's exhausting to have to schedule time with friends months in advance, and I've missed the ease of simply hanging out.

Sadly, I don't think I'm the only one.

More often than not, our innate need for connection as humans (and friends!) has been dwindled down to 1 hour time chunks (if we're lucky). 

Without realizing it, we're left feeling like friendships can't be prioritized; which means we're not being very good friends to each other.

Beyond that, having open time for an organic unfolding of a day is healing to our over-worked, stressed-out systems.

When two or more people make space to spend quality time together it allows for pure reciprocal presence without ulterior motives, guilt, obligation, manipulation, self-consciousness.

PS "Quality" doesn't have to look put together or be planned.

Ultimately boundaries, while well-intended, can get in the way of deeper, meaningful connection if we're not mindful about how we're using them.

The busy-ness epidemic has us (as a society) in a mobilized state all the damn time, and co-regulation cannot successfully happen if we're all pre-occupied with the stress of getting to the next thing or the hyper-vigilance of 'protecting our time.' 

It's easy to forget that we literally NEED time with one another - to play, to explore, to decompress, to connect - so prioritizing that, while inconvenient, is crucial.

Do you feel me?? Am I the only one here?! (hit reply and let me know!)

If this leaves you feeling like "Ok, yeah, but I AM BUSY and I don't know how to not be busy!" - I hear you.

Self Study Coaching might be exactly the support you need to reclaim your time, energy, and priorities.

Let's talk about it!

Wishing you a week of connection and at least 3 consecutive hours of free time to do whatever you feel like!!!

I'm rooting for you!

You're Doing Great,
Ruby