What a midday reset looks like
Ten minutes in the middle of the day, set apart from the rest of it. A cup, a mist and a sink, and what we do with each.
The middle of the day has no edges. Mornings end when you leave the house and evenings start when you close the door, but noon tends to run straight into three o'clock without a seam. We like to put one in.
A midday pause doesn't need a room of its own. It needs about ten minutes, something to hold and a scent that marks the change of hour. Here is what that looks like for us, at a desk, at home or somewhere in between.
Something to hold
Start with the cup. The Day Marker Cup is glossy ceramic, small enough to hold in both hands, with a single circular mark on its side. Fill it with whatever you drink at this hour. Water counts.
A full cup asks you to stop. You can't type or carry much while you hold one. Sit down, or stand at a window, and let the first sip take the first minute.
A change of air
Still Point Aromatic Mist pairs mint with green tea: mint first, sharp and cool-smelling, then the dry green of the leaves. Spray it twice into the air, away from faces and surfaces, and step through.
The 50 ml bottle slips into a coat pocket or the inside pocket of a tote. It is pale yellow with a cobalt nozzle, so it surfaces easily from the bottom of a bag. Outdoors or at an open window is the place for it. A café table is not.
Why a mist and not a candle? A mist is quick. It changes the air in the time it takes to read this sentence, and it doesn't ask you to stay in the room afterward.
At the sink
If you are home at noon, a short shower is the most complete change of scene there is. Leave the phone in another room. Run the water a little cooler than you would in the morning.
Clear Space Body Wash is eucalyptus and mint, green and bright, with a light lather. The bottle is butter yellow, the Focus color, and it looks its best in hard noon light against blue tile.
Away from home
No shower nearby? Wash your hands slowly at the nearest sink, dry them properly and take the long way back to your desk. That is enough.
Ten minutes, roughly
Here is the whole thing, written down so it's easy to repeat:
- Put down whatever you're holding.
- Fill the cup and give it the first few sips.
- Two sprays of mist, then step through.
- A short shower if you're home. A slow hand wash if you're not.
- Go back to the afternoon.
None of these steps is new. What turns them into a pause is doing them in the same order, at roughly the same hour, most days. The rest of the Focus pieces are in the Focus collection.
