Temperance and the fog that rolls in after lunch

MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER

temperance is the card of the right mix, and it arrives on a monday in mid november, when the mornings are dark and the urge to fix everything at once is strong.

the body in your fifties and sixties keeps a different timetable. sleep comes later or lighter, energy arrives in shorter bursts, and there is a particular fog that can roll in after lunch and make a simple sentence feel like wading.

this comes up often, and it can be unsettling when it is new. much of the time the fog is the body asking for a different balance, more water and more rest, and much less of the rush that used to work.

what temperance is asking your body for is a slower mix. not a new regime started on a monday and abandoned by thursday, but small adjustments, tried one at a time, until you can feel which ones help. if the fog stays or gets worse, that is worth a conversation with your doctor.

what is worth leaning into today: one small change this week, tried patiently. a glass of water before the coffee, or a short walk after lunch instead of pushing through.

what is worth staying away from: the monday overhaul. ten resolutions at once rarely survive the week, and the failure tends to feel like proof of something it is not.

my advice for today: notice when the fog arrives today and write down what came before it. a few days of notes will tell you more than a month of worrying.

when in the day does your head feel clearest. i am curious whether it has changed over the years.