Don’t Spend It All
Dear, Friend; 🌿
There’s a point in spring when the energy really starts to build.
The weather shifts.
The days open up.
And suddenly there’s a long list of things we could be doing.
Getting outside more.
Catching up on what’s been waiting.
Starting something new.
There’s a pull to go.
And often, we follow it.
We use the energy while it’s there.
We fill the days.
We push a little harder.
And then, not too far in,
we find ourselves more tired than we expected.
This is something we’ve been paying attention to inside Strong Heart.
Not how to do more with the energy of spring—
but how to work with it a little more wisely.
Because just because the energy is there
doesn’t mean we need to use all of it.
In Qigong, there’s a simple idea called the 70% rule.
Instead of giving everything you have,
you ease back slightly. To 70%.
You stop before you’re depleted.
You leave something in reserve.
Not because you’re holding back—
but because you’re protecting your energy.
There’s a recognition that our energy isn’t unlimited.
That deeper vitality—the part of us that sustains us over time—
is something to be cared for, not used up.
I’m reminded of how Haruki Murakami, in his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, talks about his energy.
He writes about running not as exercise,
but as something that builds the energy he needs for his work.
His running becomes a way of cultivating the steady, creative energy that fuels his writing—
something he develops over time, and relies on day to day.
And because of that, he’s very intentional with his energy.
He builds his energy carefully…
and he manages it just as carefully.
He doesn’t let his tank run dry.
He finishes the day with something still left—
because he knows the next day will ask something of him too.
There’s a quiet wisdom in that.
Especially now,
when energy is rising
and there’s so much we could be putting it toward.
Spring gives us energy.
But if we spend it all at once,
we lose the very thing we need
to keep moving forward.
So as the days continue to open up,
and that pull to “go” is there…
you might simply notice:
What would it look like
to not use it all?
To leave something in reserve—
not just for today,
but for what comes next.
With warmth,
Pam 🌱
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