Pause. That Refreshes!

Pause. That Refreshes!

I know a lot of people who think that I just go go go all the time. If you could see me on a Tuesday evening, or a Sunday, you would know that’s not quite true.

I know how to relax. I am good at taking down time. I excel at free time. I am a master of leisure. Oh, yeah. I go for quality.

When I take time off, when I take a break, or vacate my daily life, it’s kind of like hitting the reset button. A very tiny example is that, after I have done a sparkly clean on the house, I like to leave for a while, run a couple errands, maybe, or go for a walk, and then come back in to my sparkly house. I appreciate it so much more after a little separation from it.

I generally take a little respite on the porch between coming home from work and going in the house. I like to let go of the day. I appreciate the good stuff, sort through the other stuff for lessons, plans, silver linings, and whatnot, and then let it go. I like to think of it as taking my emotional shoes off at the door. I walk into my home feeling free and happy to be there.

Do be do be do. By just doing, we make certain kinds of progress. We achieve things in our work and play, we maintain stuff, we go places. By just being, we make a different kind of progress. We come to know our deep selves, our quiet mind. We can often give our overstimulated feelings a rest. We can relax, soften, find serenity. We can take off our emotional shoes.

I have learned that, for me, taking a moment here or there can make a huge difference in my level of satisfaction, in the quality of my day. Lots of little places where a couple of minutes to just breathe with awareness will make a huge difference for my insides, but not make much of an impact on my time.

Pausing to breathe.

Why would I choose to relax? How could I choose peaceful? What would make me serene?

When I relax into my peaceful core, I enjoy everything so much more. It’s harder for me to feel annoyed. It’s easier to get stuff done.

Do you remember the old saw, A change is as good as a rest?

Sometimes, what will refresh me the most is doing something new. I have a couple friends with whom I like to do something new. We will go to a part of town we’ve never been to, and treat it as though we are on holiday, with our cameras and tourist mindsets. A new coffee shop, a new cafe or museum, a new park and a little while later, a fresh outlook.

Taking time off can stimulate new thought. It can produce solutions to situations where we felt stymied. It can spur creativity, juice up inspiration. It can motivate us. But it won’t do any of those things unless we take it.

Why do I choose to take a break? What makes me take a breather? Why would I enjoy free time?

By building a little breathing room into our days, we ensure that we feeling more balanced, more productive, and happier. A little time here and there, a block or two of time in a week, a holiday to do something completely different; these are all ways that we keep our lives feeling light and satisfying.

How have I changed from always plugging away to enjoying my time away?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 02152014

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