Okay, so sometimes, I just need a long title to grab your attention. Do you ever feel like you’re on a roller coaster ride? Not a Ferris wheel, where you’re going around in circles all the time. A roller coaster, where you’re racing to keep up with the constantly changing track, sometimes veering side to side with the risk of flying off of an especially steep climb,…or plunging into the ground below, before you’re pulled off into a different direction.
That’s my life lately. I’m having a great time. I enjoy my trips to the country. I’m challenged by my new responsibilities on my day job. I’m excited about my new book and finally getting it typed up in rough draft form for major editing. I get energized and love the creative designs and challenges of producing material for marketing my first book. And, I even enjoy packing up our current home in preparation for our future move, filling boxes with dishes, nicnacs, seasonal decor, and books.
But staying busy like I am makes it difficult to sit still and enjoy the season. Even now, I am busy typing away. But the Christmas tree lights are on and my writing companion, Sammie, is napping by my side. And this evening, I have taken time to read a letter from a friend, answer a few texts and send a few, make my to-do list for tomorrow, and eat supper without multi-tasking. But still, that is not exactly slowing down to the speed of life, is it?
There are days that we just need to mark on our calendar as days off from the rest of the world. In black marker, we should write “Reserved for Rest,” “Time Off” or “Time Out,” or “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life.” Whatever we need to do to get some downtime, we need to just do it. Our bodies will thank us. Our minds will thank us. And our overall psychological well-being will thank us.
So, what will you do with your next day off? No, not the next day that you take off to run errands or go to the doctor. The next day you take off to take care of you. The next day you take off to just rest, to do nothing, to spend with your pet, to sleep in and not feel guilty, to go hiking because you miss it so much, or to do a movie marathon just because.
Me? I will use part of one of my days this weekend to fold laundry and watch my favorite Christmas movies, “The Holiday” and “Home Alone,” with my favorite pup. I know. Such cute movies! And, yes, I know. That’s not really doing nothing and just vegging. But, I’m working on it. It’s the closest thing that this Type A personality with over-compulsive tendencies can get to slowing down to the speed of life.
Peace and love to you!
If you enjoy my kind of writing (or talking), then you might want to check out my book, “HONOR ONE OTHER: The ABCs of Embracing Our Spirit Within.” I think you might enjoy it just for the writing style. But there is a lot of thought-provoking reflections for your reading pleasure. Well, twenty-six to be exact, but more if you count what’s in the Preface, Introduction, and Afterthoughts. Wink!
Virginia Alice Crawford 