A (Very) Little R & R


    Photo Credit: Sam Garza, wikimedia commons
The November blogging challenge from @techthought is a great opportunity to take a step back and think about what I am thankful for. Today's prompt, however, is a real challenge: What do you do to take time out for yourself? My husband gets on my case all the time about this, with good reason. I am always the last person that I take care of. However, over the last year I have tried to be more conscientious about taking some time for myself, because if I don't care for myself, I can't care for others. And educators have many "others" to care for! So to take time out for myself, I try to do one or more of the following:
  • a nice cup of tea (chai is my favorite!)
  • non-professional reading (historical novels and biographies along with the occasional romance for good measure)
  • an afternoon at Starbucks with my iPad to combine the two above
  • exercise
  • watching my latest Netflix arrival (which usually sits for about 3 weeks until I can get the 2 hours to actually sit and watch uninterrupted!)
It is unfortunate that I don't get to engage in these activities daily (or weekly for some). As a mom, wife, and school administrator, down time is hard to come by. But I remind myself that even when I can't take quiet time for myself, I am still lucky to have so many blessings: a family, a job, a (messy) home, food on the table, and fantastic friends. 

There are so many who don't have their basic needs met. I do, so in my opinion, anything else is a bonus. 

So here's to having much to be grateful for and to being able to step away from so many blessings on occasion to rest and re-charge--because that too is a blessing to be thankful for.

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