Recharge

Me time is so necessary for me to be a better parent and partner. A better person in general, actually. I am a solitary person overall. Don't get me wrong, I love visiting with friends and family, socializing in small groups I love, too. I really do, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, even. Ah, but time alone, I cherish it so. Especially since, over the past nearly ten years I've had precious little. That's a long time. Little bits of me-time over this decade have been refreshing - and it's taken me that long to realize I need them more regularly and scheduled. The schedule is not just for my sake, but so that everyone in the family knows I have a night off and I won't be available, I won't even be home, most likely. When the weather was rainy I was going to the zen center to meditate on Wednesday nights. It was lovely. That didn't last because my neck injury fired up again and made sitting still that long on a meditation cushion more than a little difficult. And the pain lasted the whole week. Poof! There went that. Luckily for me the weather has turned and the daylight, at least for now lasts well past dinnertime. This past month my Wednesdays have been spent at Medicine Buddha in the woods hiking with Kitty. We both really enjoy it. Last night I was able to sneak away early enough to take a two hour hike! It took me an hour to unwind, and the second hour I spent just being. You can see some of the moments I took pause to observe with a few photo ops. 

I highly recommend a walk in the woods, alone to anyone who is feeling too full of other peoples energy. Going grocery shopping, clothing shopping, I argue any shopping does not qualify for me-time. Skip the stores and go to the woods, or the beach, or the mountains. Breath deeply. Let go. Smile. I feel better already, don't you?