Taking a break

I seem to always be getting ready to relax. Really. If you can imagine setting the table a thousand times without eating, that's what I do. Yesterday, I decided to take a break from that. I did not do laundry or dishes, make up my bed, hang a towel, go to the grocery store--I did nothing that would have felt like a chore.

It was tough.

When I smoked, I would take a break on the deck every hour or so, sit in a chair and look around at the trees and the birds. When I quit, I didn't do this anymore. Needless to say, I got tired! A friend asked why I didn't just go outside and BREATHE. I laughed but there was some real merit in that suggestion.

So what did I do yesterday? I finished a book. I sat on the deck and looked at the birds and the trees. I started another book. I worked three crossword puzzles and read the Friday and Saturday papers, New Yorker, the Sun, and perused the Greensboro Review to see what they publish. I took a nap. I went to the movies.

Today the following was on a blog that has daily spiritual inspiration. I'm beginning to be addicted to synchronicity.

Responsibility to Ourselves

Do we think it's weak to need a break? Do we ignore the need to recharge our batteries?

Responsibility for our own lives requires us to recognize the need to restore our energy. Maybe our former escape from the world was by using food, or drugs, or spending money, or sexual release, or preoccupation with another person.

Now, since we are developing the ability to be with ourselves, we can take a break from the world and come back restored. This meditation time generates more energy for our lives. Recreation with friends, a walk, a movie, or a concert does the same.

Taking responsibility to get away is a good cure for self-pity and exhaustion.


"Touchstones"
Hazelden Meditation Series