It's 7 PM. A pair of sparrows stop briefly by to twitter on about something important while joggers and canines breeze by. Sun shines from behind as I sit on our deck. Reflecting. Resting, if only for a short while.
Thoughtful wanderings at dusk at the Howard County Conservancy.
It is easy to say yes to so many activities that we suddenly find ourselves running too fast to think or even process the very events surrounding us. Such has happened to me far too often in recent years; consequently, I've discovered that I must deliberately carve out time to not doing anything that I'd consider stressful.
Two weeks ago, I shared several lessons learned reading Jon Acuff's Start. Another huge reminder in his book was this advice from his friend, Al Andrews:
Build Your Central Park
New York City has a giant green space in the midst of skyscrapers, a world of relaxation nestled in the midst of a kingdom of frenzied movement. What if that city had no central park? What if our lives have no built-in place of respite and recreation?
What recharges you? How do you rest? For me, taking time to be out in the wilderness, writing, playing music, or good conversation with a close friend is soul-restoration. I need this time to thrive. Without it, I merely survive.
Build yourself a Central Park. Guard it. Nurture it. And perhaps you'll find the times in which you work and strive and create to be all the more focused and impactful.
We need to take breaks from our busyness to recreate, recenter, and revive.