Are you tired?  Like deep down in your bones tired?  Lately I’ve felt that way, and I think to myself, “I’m too young for this!”, and begin wondering why I’m so worn out.

Sometimes a getaway, a retreat of some sort, can help us gain perspective on our lives.  We take the chance to leave our normal lives behind for a moment, and get the advantage of an outsider looking in.

My latest getaway was full of many things I love:  gathering with people around good food, enjoying just being with others, and seeing many wonderful sights with friends and family.  It made me realize how much I long for these things in my regular life:

• Creating space and time to gather loved ones together for meals
• Creating margin in my schedule so I can enjoy being with others and not have to rush off to my next scheduled thing
• Building exploration of the world, even my own town and neighborhood, into my daily life

I find if I steward my time to include these things-things that make me feel alive-I’m not as worn out from the daily grind.

How about you?  What longings did your last getaway elicit?  If you haven’t had a getaway in a while, but feel certain it would benefit you, what are some ways you can make that happen?  It doesn’t have to be a big, fancy trip or vacation…sometimes simply stealing away for 5 minutes of quiet or changing your environment to provide a different setting can give you new perspective on your life.

One of the benefits of stepping away from our usual routines, is that we can now see our successes.  We can note progress toward our goals, relationships blossoming, and ways we’ve changed and grown for the better.  And we can take a moment to celebrate our successes.  Taking time to celebrate is such an important way to motivate ourselves in the future, as we can recognize the fruits of our labor.

We may also find there are things in our lives we’d like to change.  Have we gotten off track on a goal or a dream we want to pursue?  Perhaps it’s time to reorder our lives to pursue those things.  Is there a relationship that needs mending?  Getting new perspective can give us a chance to forgive and move forward.

Though the foods we put into our bodies and the ways we move our bodies are vitally important to our health, so is hitting the “Pause” button occasionally.  We can assess where we’ve been, re-evaluate our priorities, and step back into our normal lives with renewed sense of purpose.

So…is it time for you to take a getaway?  Remember, it doesn’t have to be a big vacation or a trip-you can find the same sense of renewal and perspective in your own way, today.  Steal away on a walk around your neighborhood, curl up in your favorite room in the house while the kids are napping, or call a girlfriend over to sip coffee on your porch and chat about your lives.

In whatever way you find your getaway, my hope is for all of us to experience the kind of awakening and restoration that a change in perspective can gift us.

Written by Brittni Paris, SFC blogger.

 

Photo Credits:

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Photo taken by me on a recent trip to Israel