I am very blessed in my life to have a wonderful family that all live close by and a place of work which brings many other people into my life. These past five months my daily schedule has been filled to overflowing as I have my weekly visits with my two grandchildren, stop in for dinner with my parents and other family members and spend the rest of my time coordinating the schedules of a family from Syria that my church sponsored. It has all been so rewarding but I knew I needed a long break. Life always seems to be so very full and not just in my life but in the lives of my family, most of my friends and everyone I meet.
Coordinating family dinners when all six of the young adults can be there or arranging a walk or tea with friends can take a lot of time and weeks can go by before we can connect. Then there is the world of electronics that we are all connected too. I must admit that I am constantly "connected" and available to my family and friends 24 hours a day. Although I choose and want to be connected I know it adds to my busyness. I often wonder if we all aren't too busy and are missing out on what is really important in life. Life passes by so very quickly and sometimes we really need to take time to just sit and breathe.
This morning as I walked around the loch I noticed how light I felt. It felt good to be outdoors strolling the pathways knowing there was no where I needed to be and nothing I needed to do.
I passed many benches around the loch all placed where people could sit and just relax and enjoy the view and watch the many birds swimming in the waters. Although I passed many people walking I found every bench sitting empty. It's important for us to stay fit and healthy. In fact, since my last visit two years ago they have placed outdoor exercise equipment around the loch at three different stations. Now, not only can people walk or run on the path, they can do other work outs to strengthen other muscles in their bodies . I thought how wonderful this was and it is. However, life has to have balance so as I completed the loop I sat on one of the empty benches and quietly meditated for twenty minutes. The sounds of the birds surrounded me and it a meditation of nature. The walk and the meditation together we're energizing and I felt quite refuelled.
Being away from home frees us in so many ways. As hard as it is to be away from family and friends it is something that we all need, a break from life. There is no wifi where I am staying so not only am I away from home but I am also "unplugged". I probably reach for my phone fifteen times a day out of habit but then I remember and tuck it back into my pocket and breathe. I don't believe it is healthy for us all to be constantly available at any hour of the day and night even for those that we deeply love. We all need time just for ourselves
As I walked through the trees on the pathway I couldn't Help but notice the difference in the trees that lined the path. On the right the trees were thin, short and twisted In a variety of ways. On my left were very tall trees standing straight n tall. Looking at them I felt very different as I looked from side to side. The twisted tree area looked too busy and too tiring whereas the trees standing tall looked peaceful and rested. I felt like my life had become like the twisted trees on the left but I hoped being on vacation would have me back being rested. We can all make changes in our lives to find ways to slow down and not rush through our days. I hope when I return home that I will remember the image of the trees and choose not to book up all of my time so that I may stand tall and peaceful like the trees on the left. We all need to find the time to take a break, make use of the "benches" that are offered to us in life and just sit and enjoy the view.
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