Today I was talking with my mama on the phone. She asked me what I would be doing the rest of the day and remarked that it sounded like I had had a very busy day, to be a Monday, and she hoped that I would relax this evening. I told her that I was excited for a friend to come over and we were heading to a dinner with some church folk… my mama laughed and said, "I want to hear you say that you are going to the movies and dinner with someone who is completely not related to church, at all, I want you to relax." I laughed and told her that she knew I have always been busy and that this would be relaxing (in my defense, it was!)
Now all of this would just roll of my shoulders if another workmate/friend had not told me just about the same thing in less words this afternoon as she told me, "you need an outlet away from these people."
So as much as I do not want to think about that and do not want to force myself into more new things, more new people, more new spaces (give me a break, I am JUST NOW getting dinner invites from church folk who are friends and not just feeling guilty that I am the new girl and therefore inviting me over, it has been about five months here people, this moving is a process beyond the boxes being opened and taken out) I am creating this top ten list of ways that I do relax and/or want to improve on to help with that very goal:
1- Painting - I love it. Always have. I like to create and it is an outlet that I will not let go of anytime soon.
2- Outside walks with the pups - me, my boys and nature is a good thing, I want to start soaking in our walks more than rushing them to get them over.
3- Reading- what I want, without a paper to write, score!
4- Letters to friends and family back home - this is a lost art and is actually something I have grown to enjoy doing, especially notes to folks back at the aging care facility I worked at during seminary.
5- Friend phone dates- I NEED TO GET BETTER AT THIS. We are all so busy and time differences but this is important. I want to get better at this.
6- Runs - Yes, laugh all you want, I really am running and enjoying it
7- Just being- sitting, lounging, just being and not worrying about my to do list or my house or laundry. This is hard. I like to be busy so being is hard. But its cool when I slow down enough to hear my heart beat.
8- Intentional time with friends that is not work related - IE: donut runs, random drives, movies, ect. - I have a few of these things that are weekly staples but need to be better about letting myself do these things without feeling guilty.
9-10 - I am not sure yet, I am struggling with creating these. I do love time that I am volunteering at a hospital and nursing home. SO MUCH. But my friends and family say that does not count. I think it does, it does my soul good. SO I count those.
I am good at relaxing in my own ways- perhaps not how all might- but as a high energy person sometimes my relaxing becomes working or wanting to improve things or creating a task and that is what I need to work on. Just being is a beautiful thing that is hard for me. So maybe this week I will try to sit and just be at least for a few minutes. Maybe we all should- because when we hear our hearts beating it is a reminder of just how cool our creator is.
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