Refreshed--
It is raining. Beautiful rain. Much needed rain. The land will be refreshed. People will feel relief from the heat. All is good this morning as the lovely drops fall from the sky.
Refreshed. What a wonderful word. It speaks to me of new beginnings. Perhaps not starting over with everything in our lives, but certainly moving forward with new hope. Life can drag it out of us. All the responsibilities that accompany adulthood tend to overwhelm. People with needs. Cars that need repairs. Homes that are endless money pits. Jobs that become mundane. Relationships that require constant care. Children with activities that have us meeting ourselves coming and going. Families which sometimes translates into the word stress. That is the short list.
Amid all the activities that pull us, it is essential to find the time to refresh. While a vacation to a far away place sounds fun, it can also add another level to our stress. Preparing for a trip is work. Clothes selected, washed and packed. Mail stopped. Animals relocated for our time away. Money. Getting the car ready. Buying the tickets. Locating a place to stay that is within our budget. I am exhausted with all the stuff required for a simple get away.
Even with all that is required to finally arrive at our destination, the time there can be just what we need. We see something different from what we see everyday. We eat at special places. We shop in new and interesting stores. We sleep in. The best part of this is there is no where we have to be at any certain time. We are free from schedules. We can rest, eat, play, think, dream. We can visit with friends or make memories with our family. It's just what we needed. We leave saying how refreshed we are to return and begin again.
Years ago when we lived in the Pacific Northwest, we would drive two or three hours to the mountains in winter to ski. The absolute beauty of the drive was almost enough for me to feel ready to meet the week. Huge evergreens with snow covered branches lined the highway. It was like a trip through fairy land driving to the mountain to slide down all day. People dressed in colorful outfits were enjoying slipping and sliding down groomed hills. Well, not everyone. Those who spent much of their day on the snow-covered ground were not especially festive. But me-I remember being so refreshed. My spirit was literally singing. Being in such a beautiful place filled me up with joy. Absolute joy. When Monday rolled around, I was ready to see those little second graders. I had done something to change the daily schedule.
Camping, skiing, hiking, walking in the sand beside the incoming waves of the Pacific Ocean were activities we enjoyed. Each was a change. We saw something different, met new people. The best thing about this is we were only two hours from anything we wanted to do. It was a good time.
Sameness tends to wear folks down. When one day looks just like the day before and the day before that, it is easy to become a little discouraged. When that happens, it is absolutely necessary we seek out what we need to feel refreshed. We see the world differently when we are refreshed. Challenges still arise. But we are able to see them with fresh eyes. New solutions appear instead of believing there are none. We greet others with sincere care. We feel a bit more peaceful.
There are times when getting away is simply not in the cards. It's not always about distance. Maybe we need to spend time with a cherished friend. Or take a long walk while listening to our kind of music. Driving to another town to see what is different from what we are used to can also help us feel refreshed. Being alone with our own thoughts and feelings works, too. Whatever moves us to that place is what we must seek.
Feeling refreshed is essential for a healthy life. Whatever it is that takes us to that place, we must make the trip. Life is about making memories and sharing them. It is about storing pictures in our mind that we can pull up when we need a dose of change. Our lives are full. However, there is a difference between full and rich. Busy is a word we throw around. If we can say we are so busy, then we believe we have arrived. We are in the middle of it all. I get that. Truly I do. Life makes demands. We make choices, but somewhere in the middle of busy, hopefully we find time to truly live. To spend time with family and friends. To visit over a cup of coffee or a meal. To connect.
I see a friend coming through the door. Gotta go. Feeling refreshed!
