It is only day 4 of the Year of the Sheep and what a ride it has already been. I have already hit my first significant obstacle and come out swinging. From the moment I woke up on Thursday to around noon on Saturday my life was non-stop go, go, go. Between trying to get in my requirements, helping with the banquet, helping on an all day field trip for school and many other family obligations, I found I was stuck running in circles. Not only was I on the run, I was struggling to find a way to stop. I was on a mission and I just needed people to keep pace with me (which of course they were not). I was being rather hard to live with and very hard on my beloved family. Finally in frustration, I took my big fur-baby for a walk.
It was on my walk that I was hit over the head with a revelation. I had made the mistake of not building any breathing room into my life. I had allowed the frenzy to take over. I needed to slow down! Immediately! I love living out in the country. I can walk with Guiness, talking to God, myself and him and there is no one around to hear. Guiness loves it because he thinks that no matter who I am talking to, it must be him. I was able to breathe in the fresh air and just slow down. I came home and made some amends with my family. Then I settled into a bath with a book before preparing to go back to the banquet.
Here is the beauty of this pause in the chaos... Even while I was taking my much needed breather, I was able to actually make progress on a few goals. I felt recharged and ready to enjoy the banquet. I was able to stop and listen to the candidates speeches. I was able to recognize that I am just at the start of a marathon and trying to run at a sprint is foolish. I was able to sit back and be inspired by the quality of the demos, the people that received awards and the entire promotion process. Now all I need to do is remember to breathe and pause before I hit frenzy!
Karen Bergstreiser