My instructor and some of my classmates from the recent class I took on blogging think I should be posting a piece on this site once a week.
But sometimes, life gets in the way of that goal – as it has recently; and, then, 3, 4 or 5 weeks pass and I have had neither the time nor the inspiration for writing a blog post!
There was hospital time in January for hubby who had a couple of stents put in his heart. Though I wasn’t the one being hospitalized, I did have to spend time worrying, and visiting him. Then, there was work, appointments, errands, cold/ugly winter weather and various other distractions that either affected my time or mental state to keep me from writing.
Fortunately, not all of life that got in the way was negative stuff. There were a lot of fun activities that occupied my time also – like making Valentine cookies with my two grandsons…
taking in Gopher basketball games with my husband, attending the grandsons’ basketball games, having dinner with friends, etc. etc. etc. Not bad stuff, but still, accounting for some of the life that got in the way.
I consider my blog a fun hobby or pastime; so, thinking I don’t have the time to take for it, can get in my way of writing.
BUT, life was made up of the good stuff as I wrote this piece. I was sitting in sunny southern California, feeling relaxed. 
Plus, since I was on a vacation and away from home, I had the gift of time – no distractions of work or every day living. I begin writing my posts by doing a very rough draft long-hand, then, do my editing as I type it into this blog site. Since I had my trusty red notebook with me, I was able to take advantage of my free time in CA to write this.
It’s amazing to me how revitalizing it is to “get away from it all” as they say. (Who is “they”, by the way?) A day before we left home on this trip, my body seemed to be aching all over – especially in my neck and shoulders where I tend to carry stress/tension. A half day after arriving at our destination, all those aches disappeared. Granted, sitting in a hot tub might have helped ease the situation; but, just clearing my brain of worry and scurry removed the effects of stress.
The trick now, and I know it is not easy, is to find at least some blocks of stress-free time in everyday life. Vacations are not always possible; and, Roger and I are not fortunate enough to be able to spend extended periods of time away from the Minnesota winter. (However, we do have the extreme good fortune of having wonderful friends who invite us to share part of their away time during the winter months.)
As I pondered ways I could take the good vacation feelings home with me and escape now and then from the negative aspects of life, I came up with some ideas that may help me. See if any appeal to you.
MAKE time to: (notice the word – make)
- meditate (yoga, contemplative prayer)
- immerse myself in a great novel
- exercise – doing something I like to do (like walking outside), not something I think I should be doing (like the elliptical machine)
- get together with friends for a cup of tea, a meal, or a nice long walk
- take in a movie
- keep a gratitude journal – regularly noting 3-5 things for which I am grateful. (Psychologists say you cannot be anxious if you think of the things for which you are grateful.)
- get a massage or other spa/salon treatment
- work a crossword puzzle, put together a jigsaw puzzle, or play a new game with family or friends
- try a new recipe
And, my favorite:
- ignore the to-do list for a day and just do whatever comes to mind and go wherever the wind blows me!
Oh, and be thankful for the fun activities already in my life which I mentioned above!
As I said, I was on a vacation as I wrote the list above. It remains to be seen, now that I am home, just how many of these ideas I’ll put into play to create feel-good, vacation-like scenarios. But, I have good intentions.
Do you have any ideas to add to my list? I’d welcome your input. You can leave comments below.
Good writing, Maggie. And I hear you loud and clear. Life can get in the way. Even though I am retired, there are days that I think, “where did the hours go?” I had so many plans for my retired life, especially plans to organize my house. I have done very little of that simply because there are more fun things to do. I’m afraid that my house will not get organized until we decide to move. I used to feel guilty about taking my daily walks, thinking I should be doing something constructive in the house. But I know my walks and my little morning workouts downstairs are for my health and well being. I am working on not allowing negative thoughts overtake the positive ones, to always walk on the sunny side of the street. I remind myself that both Tom and I are healthy, while some friends are not so fortunate. And I am extremely grateful for family, particularly grandchildren.
Thanks, Mary, for your comments. I am in total agreement with you that your walks and workouts are good for you. We need to take care of our bodies so we can deal with everything life throws at us. Keep up the good work!
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