Returning to Center — The Quiet Strength You Build Midweek

Fridays hit different when the week has taken you in circles.

On Monday, direction felt clear.

By Wednesday, I was making U-turns, drifting off course, trying to find my place again. And now here we are, Friday, where everything finally settles.

It’s funny how “adventure” and “drifting off course” can look the same. I always joke that people riding shotgun with me must feel like they’re traveling with mayhem, like the Allstate commercials.

Holidays.
Work pressure.
Home life.

Suddenly, you’re Chevy Chase in European Vacation, circling the same roundabout, waving at Big Ben for the tenth time.

This week felt like that.
Circles. Detours. Corners at 100 mph.
Mayhem everywhere.
And then I reminded myself:

I’ve been here before.
I lost a boat at sea once.
I drove Highway 1 with no GPS and ended up in a strawberry field.
I’ve followed signs that led me in circles in a city I wasn’t from, and still made it to my events.
Every one of those moments taught me something.
Sometimes you have to shut the GPS off to find yourself again.

Sometimes you have to ask for help, ask for directions, admit you’re stuck in the mayhem, and think strength is powering through alone. But the truth is, real strength is knowing how to get back to center.

As I write this at 5:20 am, thinking about staying in bed…

I still got up.
Gym at 6:10.
Coffee in hand.
Coach yelling “Give me more!” in the all-out.

And that’s the rhythm I owe myself, the push that keeps me becoming who I want to be.
This week reminded me of something simple:

You’re allowed to drift. You’re allowed to circle. You’re allowed to lose the thread. But you owe yourself the return. Friday isn’t the finish line; it’s the reset.

Your chance to choose calm over chaos, presence over pressure, and purpose over mayhem.

Americano Reflection:

Where did you drift this week, and what’s your small return to center today?