Returning from Vacation

How many of you actually go away when you have a break from school or work?  Well, I do that over spring break.  My daughter and I spent the week in Florida basically doing nothing other than sitting by the pool.  It was truly a lovely respite from the craziness of our every day lives.  I was very sad to leave that all behind and come back to my real life.  Now, of course, I'm back at work.  I was clearly away long enough to forget just how busy my days are and how exhausted I feel.  Wow, what a difference between vacation and work. I'm not sure it's ever been quite so pronounced before.  I've only been here half a day and I'm ready to crawl into bed and stay there for a few weeks.  I'm not even sure I would dream I'm so tired. 

I will say that having the time to rest made a great deal of difference in the way I feel.  I could rest when I wanted to, eat when I needed to and just not be stressed.  What a wonderful life.  It's a shame that I can't live that way full time.  I wonder how good I would feel if I didn't have to maintain my daily routine. 

Ah well, now that I'm back I just have to plug away.  Happy Spring Everyone!  I'm looking forward to planting flowers soon.  I'm sure we'll talk about that soon. 

Vacation

I'm so ready for a break.  I can't even explain how ready for my upcoming break I am.  Somehow I think everyone around me feels exactly the same.  Thankfully lovely weather awaits with warm air and sunshine.  While I have to be extremely careful about my sun exposure I will be finding any way I can to enjoy the warm air.  I'm hoping that will make my pain lessen but I won't count on it.  Rest and relax, which were not even part of my vocabulary a few years ago, are all that I plan to do.  Lots of sleeping, eating carefully, reading good books and just being chill.  Well, that's all for now.  I'll be back in touch when I have something new to tell you. 

Safe Haven

I think that each of us feels stressed, unsure of ourselves or even just plan not safe at times.  If you don't feel those things let me know what you've been taking, meditating on or just what the heck you've been doing so I can share in the love.  Do you have a place that you go where you feel safe and at ease with the world?  For me the place where I feel best is my home.  I know that when I get home my dogs will run and greet me with their fluffy tails wagging.  They love me no matter what has happened while I've been gone and they are perfectly happy to curl up in my lap and lick my face and just plain make me feel loved.  My dogs aren't the only reason that my house feels like a safe haven.  My house is very dimly lit and very quiet.  It's just a really peaceful place.  My living room looks somewhat like a lodge out in the woods.  Most things are made of wood and warm colors abound.  It's just sort of zen.  My dining room reminds me of Europe.  There are French doors leading to my grassy backyard, whitewashed furniture and a floor that looks like stone.  It just begs for you to sit down and have a good meal.  In both rooms there are candles which are usually lit bringing more warmth to the house.  My kitchen is one of my favorite spots.  When we went from renting to owning this house I really made that room my own.  When we got back from signing the papers for the house the first thing I did was tear down the hideous window treatment.  There's a huge window that looks out on the backyard and lets in lots of sunlight.  I redid the cabinets doing them in an antique green and stenciling ivy on some of them.  That goes with the wallpapge which has ivy and bird houses.  That may sound cliche for kitchen wallpaper but I love it.  It makes me feel a little like I'm in Europe and a little like I'm cooking outside.  I put on my tunes and cook dinner and I'm in a very happy place.  There's also our master suite with more wood and warm colors and our own cozy bathroom away from the kids.  It's a peaceful place.  I also have my basement which I have always loved and felt good in.  There's a beautiful brick hearth fireplace which keep us toasty in the winter and best of all, my jewelry studio which always makes me feel at peace even when artist's block hits.  So, yeah, I feel really good in my house.  It's my safe haven where I can relax and chill from the day's events.  It's so good to be home.  Where's your safe haven?