Thursday, April 2, 2009

Simplifying

Do you ever find that you drive yourself crazy? I know I do. Somehow, I manage to tie myself up in knots over the most ridiculous things. Take this week, for example. It's spring break for the public school where I work, which translates into vacation for me. That's cause for celebration, right? Well, maybe. The thing is, because it's this special, set-aside week, I feel like I really need to do something with it. Something important, or that I must accomplish something big. Sleeping in and enjoying a good book smack in the middle of the day are just not options.

But why should that be? Why shouldn't I treat my vacation as just that? The Best Husband Ever has been encouraging me to take this time to enjoy myself, but have I been listening? Not really. I feel almost frantic with trying to "rest," "relax," and "enjoy" as much as possible. Ridiculous, right?

Today I've done a little better. I let it be a more restful day (although not completely sedentary) in terms of exercise. I had some fun experimenting with new meals for breakfast and lunch. Then I took a stroll downtown with one of the pups where I currently sit in a coffee shop sipping hot lemongrass tea and -- you guessed it! -- blogging.

What fun! What bliss! It's been so long since I've done something like this that I'd nearly forgotten how rejuvenating I find it. Cafes and coffee shops make me smile, especially on a semi-rainy day. Plus, I did manage to get some job search-related work done, so I feel somewhat accomplished.

Deep breath in. Breathe out. Stretch.

Rest.
Play.
Laugh.
Enjoy.

I should write t-shirt slogans, don't you think? Still, it's an important lesson that I still haven't fully learned. How do you slow down and take it easy? I could use some ideas!

"'So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.'" ~ Matt. 6:34

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"I am glad you are here with me."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King