Pause.

Anyone else have a scrambled week where you felt like your brain and body never caught up with each other, or your brain never caught up to the day? I don’t know how else to describe this feeling, but I get this way every now and again. Especially at work. I’m running on the treadmill (I first typed trampoline here, which I think accentuates the point) and suddenly it’s Friday afternoon and I’m like “did I make it?”, “did I do all the things?”, “did I do my job sufficiently this week”. And sometimes this applies to my personal life as well, but you get the point (I hope). I can’t imagine how those people who are chronically over-committed and involved with things (either their own or their kids’) continue to function week after week in this way because I feel crazed at the end.

So this is the week I had last week, and then I get to my church service this week with a little dread about Sunday being the kick-off to another crazy week, and the message I hear is about coming back to a “spiritual home”, and remaining present in moments when things seem unfathomable. So I decide to do just that. Be present. Slow down. Put down my phone and think about what’s being said.

A “spiritual home base” or at least my interpretation [Em can correct me if I didn’t do the best listening ;)] is a place you go back to that gives life back to your spirit, soul, essence, whatever you want to name it. Nature, your grandma’s house, the library, or even within a specific person’s presence; where you go when you feel revitalized and at peace afterwards. And I realized for me, there are a couple select people that I go to specifically for “spiritual” revitalization in terms of my “religious” life. But in general, alone time is a revitalizing activity for me. Hello, introvert. Weeks where the world is spinning

and I’m just holding on for dear life while trying to remember to stop for groceries, wash the laundry, and oh yeah, the family will need to eat when I get home - I get little alone time in a meaningful way that revitalizes me and provides rest. The exhaustive slump on the couch at the end of the night, or driving frantically from work to pick up my kid from daycare is not exactly restorative.

So, in order to not go on at length about something that doesn’t need it to go on and on, here’s the challenge: Find what restores your soul in whatever way you need right now, and make some intentional time to do the thing. Try not to overlook. Try not to say “yes” if you don’t really have the time or energy. And, most importantly, be present when you do the thing so that it actually sticks - and allow yourself to be refreshed.