December 30 - Plan

Before I introduce you to today's activity, I have to tell you about my walk yesterday! I had planned to walk to the library to return a book, but when I got home from work, I noticed a small gray dog trotting along the sidewalk. I slowed down and looked closer at that dog. He looked so familiar to me. He looked at me, and trotted even faster!

It became obvious to me that I knew where that dog lived. In good conscious, I could not just get home from work and put my feet up. I felt compelled to check in with his owner. I walked through our neighborhood to the supposed owner's house, and just as I approached the door to knock, a woman with a walker made her way to the door. Before I could even say anything, she knew why I was there. And, at that moment, the gray dog made an appearance.

Well, the dog was playing some sort of game with us where he wouldn't come to me - at all. The woman couldn't come out of the house on the icy steps, so it was up to me to entice the dog back to the yard and into the house. I asked her if she had any treats, and she reemerged with a cream wafer. I wanted to eat this treat myself, but decided to use it for its intended purpose.

I learned the dog's name was Ringo, so I squatted in the driveway and proceeded to command, encourage, bribe, and plead with Ringo to come back. Finally, between his owner and I, he made his way up the steps to the door, and we swept him into the house.

It felt good to help out a neighbor. I'm glad I followed the tug on my heart to do the right thing. And from now on, when I pass by that house on my walks, I can greet Ringo by his name!


Now, for today's task at hand. I've been thinking how important it is to relax, and how I usually leave relaxing for last. You see, when I get to a weekend, I end up doing all the things that didn't get done during the week, then doing some laundry, cleaning the house, getting together with friends, and then before I know it, it's Monday! The weekends slip away and I get into a go-go-go pattern.

Today I want you to think about 2011 and how you can relax. What would that look like for you to schedule in relaxation time? Would it be one day a week where you plan to do nothing except stay at home and relax? Is it one weekend a month where you commit to not planning anything? Is it scheduling a babysitter so you can have a night away from the kids? Is it having a movie night each month?

Think about what it looks like for you, and then mark some days for relaxation on your calendar. If you're feeling brave, write down relaxation days for the ENTIRE year! I did it, and it feels really wonderful. I marked one "stay at home" weekend on our family calendar for each month. I know we'll be home more than one weekend a month, but this "stay at home" weekend is also one in which we won't plan anything.

Now that we have these on the calendar, I will do my best to make sure they stay priorities. Zac and I find we are so much healthier when we have down time to relax.

I'd love to hear how you like to relax - drop me a line!