A problem of mine is I that I go along my merry way without stopping until I am at the precipice of insanity before I realize that I need some time away. That realization came to me Saturday as I found myself jealous of Adam spending 30 minutes by himself at the pool store. Besides a few moments working alone in my office, I hadn't had a moment to myself since a workout on vacation several weeks ago. My internal clock is off and I haven't been able to get up at my usual 5, so my time is all kids all the time.
I told Adam I had to get out of the house and left. I found a public place to sit and I sat and breathed for a long time. Just sat and breathed. Then I drove aimlessly, picked a random nail salon and ordered a pedicure. It was fabulous, and my toes look prettier than they have all summer. Two hours later, I returned home refreshed and renewed.
I'm not proud that it takes me so long to realize that I need a break, that I am not Super Woman with unlimited powers to cook, clean, and take care of kids. I'm not proud that I had to lose my temper over something petty before I stopped to take care of myself. But I feel like I have made some progress in that I did stop and reset. Once I returned home I was calm, collected, and able to make dinner, supervise baths, and read bedtime stories with joy.
I know I am not the only one with this problem. In fact, yesterday at church, I shared my experiences with a friend who had a similar one on Saturday.
We all need a break, so I'm going to attempt to take more of them.
I saw this bird on my mini-retreat. Her feathers look threadbare and she looked exhausted. She reminded me of me. (Now please don't ruin my photo and tell me it's really a male bird, because I like to believe it's a mama bird, just like me.)
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