My toes are gritty but my mind is clear…

My toes are gritty but my mind is clear…

Yesterday I was stressed. I really have no excuse. We just returned from an awesome mini family trip, and I had every reason to feel completely grateful and relaxed. But yesterday I was anxious and scattered. I guess sometimes life just catches up with you.  Being a mom. Being a wife.  Just trying to live life in today’s high standards world. I had my baby girl by my side,  Blaise was at preschool, and I had about 100 things on my to do list.  By lunch, I had checked off about five “to-dos” and was feeling pretty good, but I was short tempered and my mind was racing. Overall it was a great day but I was unnecessarily preoccupied.

Well, I woke up this morning with the 95 other things left on my list. I made breakfast, packed lunches, dropped both kids off at school, and  set out on my mighty to do list mission. However as I pulled out, I took a detour.  I just let my foot hit the gas pedal. As I should’ve been turning into my first stop, I drove straight to the beach. I didn’t think twice.  I did some Tabata sprints which always reset my mind (and are a killer quick workout to boot). As I walked back from the sprints, I took in the gorgeous view, and I prayed. I thanked the Lord for this gift to reset.  When all is said and done, it was only a 45 minutes detour from my grand mission.  But as I sit here and write this, feeling the sand in between my toes and the extra room in my thoughts, I smile at peace.

Sometimes we have to temporarily scrap our to do list and refocus.  In this season of Lent I find it crucial to focus on what He wants us to do versus what the world tells us we should accomplish. I am really reflecting on that today. I know I am blessed to be able to take a 45 minute detour to the beach, but everybody can find a quick little escape to reset.  Maybe listening to a few uplifting songs in the car or breaking for a reflecting walk. Re-centering in this way grounds me for what the rest of my day has in store.   Anyway, I just thought I’d share these thoughts with you in case you needed a nudge to take a quick “break.”   Now if you’ll excuse me I’m headed off to shake the sand from my list and tackle it in JOY.  In the mean time tell me- how do you recenter???  I always love to have a few ideas in my back pocket.

-Rachel