DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

If you really want to do yourself a favor, take a day off once in a while. I don’t just mean, get away from work, but rather, do something completely different…preferably by yourself.

Some people go for retreats, which formally are designed for silent reflection and prayer. Others like to get out of the city, or familiar place where they live, by going to the country or cottage or on a trip.

For those of us who don’t have the time to physically remove ourselves from everything familiar, there are a lot of ways to pause and remove yourself from your daily concerns and responsibilities.

Some of the simplest of these are known to almost everyone: take a relaxing bath, listen to music on your headphones, do a jigsaw puzzle, go and see a movie, go to an art gallery or museum or go for a walk or hike.

Ultimately, only you know what works best as a decompression valve for you. Whatever you choose, although dependent upon how much time you have, and what you have found works best for you, you will have done yourself a favor.

A side effect and benefit will probably be that you may have realized that you can put away the trials and concerns of that day and arrive home refreshed and ready to enjoy the rest of your day, having put down some of the baggage that was weighing you down that day.

I suspect that those around you, many who possibly have worries and problems of their own, will be glad to see a friendlier face than they expected when you told them how your day had been going. I think that you and they may also see that you are able to enjoy and share your time together more fully and appreciatively. 

MAD MADDER MADDEST

Have you noticed how angry the people around you are these days? It seems as though there is always something, we or someone around us, is angry about.

Most recently, of course, 15 months of non-stop political campaigning in the United States and the 24/7 media day, has probably bored most people into exhaustion. Nevertheless some people still seem to have time and energy left to parade in the streets to complain about an election outcome they didn’t like.

Others of us think America might have chosen better candidates to begin with, but seem quicker to accept the outcome than those who personally think women or others were slighted because this particular woman was not elected. Since large numbers of voters on the east and west coasts voted for her, and she still lost, they seem to need to let everyone know they intend to continue to be unhappy.

I’ve personally found however, that not only do my fellow citizens often vote for, and elect, someone else than who I voted for, but that I usually have to put up with their choices for (at least) 4 years. Tough luck. Poor me.

This being the case however, am I going to be mad at or avoid my friends and family for those years, or do I have a life down here on planet earth, to get on with?

Sadly, a lot of this frustration and anger, about politics and a lot of other things, gets directed toward those still willing to listen to us and therefore, often erodes and corrodes our closest personal relationships.

While anger can be a safety valve on occasion, continuous dissatisfaction and upset can ruin our relationships and our health.

I personally don’t feel that life is a competition for being the loudest or holding on to what we feel is our ‘righteous indignation’ the longest. It seems to me that we are happier and healthier when we realize that even when we disagree with someone else, it’s not our whole life. 

I believe it’s healthier to move forward than dig our heels in and stagnate because we’ve decided we are right and everyone who disagrees with us is wrong.