Take Time Just to Be . . .

If we allowed it, every minute of our day would be filled with something . . . there's work, our families to care for, the house to tend, laundry to do, meals to shop for and prepare, there are things to fix, bills to pay, calls to make and return, events to attend, the yard to keep up . . . the list could go on forever. Sometimes things seem so hectic that we can hardly catch our breath. We're racing here and there to do this and that ~ always in a hurry.

But wait a darn minute here!

Who says we have to live this way? Is there an unwritten rule no one told me about? Is there a Universal Law that requires humans to keep pace with this wild continuous beat? I don't think so!

No matter who we are, we all need time just to be . . . to refresh our bodies, our minds, and our souls. We have to get off that treadmill and spend some time just being ourselves. Forget about work, forget about dusting and doing laundry, let the phone ring and, yes, let our families take care of themselves for a little while. In other words, we need to forget about everything but ourselves for a few minutes.

What we do during this time doesn't matter. Maybe we want to take a walk in the woods and spend a few minutes sitting on a fallen log and just breathing the fresh air. Maybe we want to take a long, relaxing bath or have a private conversation with our God. Maybe we'd like to throw a stick for the dog to fetch or jog in the park. The only thing that matters is that we do something we enjoy doing ~ something that allows us to get in touch with our inner selves.

And ~ we need to make these little micro-mini vacations a habit. They keep us in balance and provide a time for us to nourish our spirits the same as we nourish our bodies. We wouldn't think of not eating for weeks or months at a time ~ what makes us think we can ignore the hunger pangs of the place deep within each of us that makes us who we are?

Just as we must keep the lines of communication open with our customers, our families, our spouses, we must also have a clear, static-free direct line to our own thoughts and feelings. If we don't, we lose ourselves amid the chaotic "busyness" of our lives.

So, take time just to be . . .