Take Some Time Away
My husband and I are currently on our last day of “taking some time away” and I am refueled and refreshed this morning. I love spending time with my husband and we do all sorts of things together at home. But spending time away from the day in and day out of our “real lives” is completely different, and so much better. We relaxed in a way that I haven’t seen in a while, and it was wonderful.
We took almost a week down here in sunny, Southwest Florida, where it’s still hot and the sun still bakes the land. Our Indiana weather has made a change. I’ll be happy to get back home to sweater weather today, but I have loved the sun on my face and starting each day with a cup of coffee on the lanai. To my pleasant surprise, Florida hits a little differently in the fall. We have always vacationed down here during school calendar breaks, so this feels like we are cheating the system a little bit!
We drove to the beach on Friday and were able to park, walk around, eat lunch, and visit shops, all without any sort of crowd. It was nice to stroll around with no place to be or have our normal time constraints. We found ourselves relaxing more and more by the hour. There is something about spending time on a beach that makes any worry you may have melt away. The crash of the waves, the diving pelicans, and the feel of the sand are all soothing to my soul. And who doesn’t need a little soul soothing now and again?
We also spent time Saturday on a golf course that seemed to come up right out of nature. There were no houses or condos, no sounds of cars passing by, only the soft hum of wildlife. The chirps of so many different birds filled the air all around us. It was beautiful. My husband teed off early, so we got to catch the sunrise. The sky burst open with beautiful shades of orange and pink. I found myself thanking God over and over for His beautiful creation as we meandered the course. We even saw a huge alligator taking a leisurely swim in a small lake. It was all amazing!
As you know, we adults have many responsibilities that can weigh us down. There is work, a house, kids, and a plethora of things that occupy space and time in our minds. “Adulting” can be extremely draining. We all tend to push forward and go through the daily grind without taking time for ourselves. Time to recharge, or even time to unwind, seems to always come last. We go from task to task, waiting for the weekends. Then our weekends are filled with running errands and chores around the house, leaving us depleted come Monday.
This cycle is a cycle everyone goes through at times during their lives. If you have children, you know how the different stages of raising them can leave you catching yourself coming and going. Jobs can cause stress and anxiety. Friendships and family relationships need to be nurtured. So many things need our time and attention that life can become overwhelming.
Over the past several years, life feels like it’s been harder in ways that I’m just now realizing. We have lasting effects of what the world has gone through, still going through, and we need to take time to catch our collective breath. I realized on this trip that I like “vacation Amy”. She is more go-with-the-flow than regular Amy. She is more relaxed, thankful, appreciative of the little things, and more fun! I want to strive to be more like that girl when I get back to Indiana. I want to love the people around me better. I want to give them undivided time and attention. I want to learn to “take time away” right where I am.
This Florida retreat was a rare treat. I want to learn to better enjoy my daily gifts…they may not be rare, but each day is a treasure. So while most of us can’t escape the daily grind via jet, we can learn to manage it a little better. Go outside and get in touch with Creation. Get cozy and read a good book. Meet that friend for coffee. Spend time on the phone with your loved ones. Soak up all that comes with the current ages of your children. (I promise that constant shuttling them around will come to an end…and you’ll miss it.) Love your partner well and make time for them. Don’t wait for a vacation to be the person you want to be, go for it today!
