I confess. I’m a workaholic.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy fun and relaxation. It’s just that when there’s work to do—and there’s always work to do—I have a hard time setting it aside. I blame both DNA and my upbringing. My parents owned their own business, and I grew up watching them often work seven days a week in order to keep up with customers’ needs. My father was the local butcher in a farming community. You may think that doesn’t require working so many hours, but if a cow goes down with a broken leg, it has to be taken care of right away or the farmer loses the meat. And when he was the only butcher around for miles, people depended on him to make sure their freezers were stocked and their families fed.
But ... I’m trying to play more.
My husband and I have a goal to enjoy not only big events, but also little “events.” I took last weekend off from writing and editing. With comfortable temperatures and sunshine, Saturday couldn’t have been more beautiful.
We took our time driving an hour and a half to another town in order to ride a steam-powered train. The engine pulled a line of enclosed cars, as well as open cars with canopies overhead to shield people from the sun. The hour-long ride took us through the woods and countryside. Once we got to a certain place on the track, the engine moved to the rear car and pulled us back to the small station.
The journey on the train wasn’t thrilling or exciting. The scenery wasn’t breathtaking. But, I couldn’t help notice how relaxed I felt. It was also fun observing people our age and older with grandchildren—just out for an afternoon. The kids didn’t need to have “gadgets” to be entertained. They enjoyed the ride, watching the engine, and hearing the whistle blow.
I think many of us have forgotten how to enjoy life's simple pleasures.
It doesn’t always take a lot of fanfare or expensive trips for our lives to be enriched. Sometimes, just walking in a park, sitting by a lake, or eating an ice cream cone with a spouse or friend can make our day better.
Look around you. Explore. What small thing can you do this coming week to put a smile on your face?
Dawn
splendid post
ReplyDeleteThanks,Paul. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, go do something fun! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSometimes we work so hard we miss things. And sometimes I'm so double-minded while I'm "playing" (and worrying about work) that I miss things. Love this encouragement, Dawn. Time to stop and just breathe. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWow, Dawn. I've been telling myself this truth for a while now, but lately I've been letting work slowly creep back to being my "master." Ugh! Thanks for this welcome reminder. And I agree with you too, Annette. I'm often double minded when trying to relax. It takes determination and prayer to slow down, be still, and enjoy God's amazing creation--and the wonderful life he has for us!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!
Thanks Annette and Ocieanna for your comments. I experienced another moment today when I needed to choose between going to a movie with my husband and working on crossing things off my "to-do" list. He worked both Saturday and Sunday, and he really needed a break today. I decided I better live out what I preached on my blog. We enjoyed the movie and it was good for us to have some time together. My "to-do" list will always have things to get crossed off.
ReplyDeleteI love train rides. And I agree, it's so hard to let go and "turn off your mind." So many times the "I gotta's" (as in "I gotta do this" and I gotta do that") take over my down time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder. I'll try to do better. :)