One of the reasons I like this blog is that I feel that I can be transparent with those of you that read it. So, I'm going to be transparent in this post. Life is hard. We all know that. Our days are filled with tasks and our down time makes us feel counterproductive. The world we live in has led us to believe that we have to be busy.
I've got news for you, I've learned in the past few months that down time is vital. It seems like there was something that had to be done on every day of the week. Even being social began to feel like a task. The fear of saying, "I can't make it," made me feel like I would lose friends or damage relationships. Blame that on my past trauma.
On the outside I seemed like a social butterfly, but on the inside I was a dude screaming for rest. I used to feel guilty for not going to a social function or a get together. My friends are very important to me and I never want to let them down. It just took asking myself, "When was the last time you thought to take care of yourself," to realize I kind of wasn't.
Outside of ourselves there's other things that need to be tended to in a restful matter. My relationship with Jesus and my marriage are the most important things in my life. I started to lose sight in the fact that I could find rest in both of those things. My wife, bless her heart, stays just as busy as I do. She helps with my grandad, our little dude and still works. To say that I married up is an understatement.
We both hit a point a couple of weeks ago that we said, "It's time to slow down." This past weekend we didn't have a docket full of necessary things to do. So, we rested. I had zero guilt in spending time with her and putting off things that weren't absolutely necessary. Like I said, I've always felt guilty when I missed things or felt like I'd make a friend mad if I didn't do something with or for them. That's no longer the case.
As I age, I realize life truly is short. Why should we feel guilty for taking time with the things that truly make us happy or bring us peace? We shouldn't. If someone tries to make you feel guilty for missing something, maybe it's time to reevaluate the situation. They may mean well, but even then, your mental and physical still holds precedence. Take care of the ones you love the most and take care of yourself. Never feel guilty for that.
Comments