R & R for Sunday, March 11th, 2012

Work is not always required. 

There is such a thing as sacred idleness, 

the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.

George Macdonald

R and R Tip#92:  Yesterday is gone; tomorrow is uncertain; today is here. Use it wisely

I hope you all remembered to spring forward this morning!  Daylight Savings Time began this morning,  Most of the US begins Daylight Savings Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November .

Spring is just a few short weeks away and I'm sure that I'm not the only one looking through seed catalogs and garden shops making plans for what we want to grow this year.  Each spring, I love seeing my little planters on the back patio overflowing with colorful flowers. 

The planters never look better than when I first set them in the pots. I water them well each day for a week or two, happy for rainy days when nature does the job for me. But I am soon distracted and forget to keep the flowers watered. After just a few warm, dry days, every flower stem bends and the foliage droops down the sides of the pots. I fear the worst. But I’m thankful that if the soil is not completely dried up, I can water the plants and see them revive.

Just as water is necessary for our plants to survive, so is rest and relaxation is essential for us to flourish and grow.

Sometimes we begin to feel like those unwatered flowers.  We droop when we work too much and stress out about what isn't getting done in our lives. A quick fix for the flowers was to water them.  A quick fix for ourselves isn't always as easy as that. Be gentle with yourself and take time to relax and rest.  Short breaks may refresh you enough to get through the day, but for longer lasting effects, a good 7-8 hour sleep is needed.

There is a time to everything in life.  There is a time for work and a time for sleep.  There is a time for fun and a time to be serious.  Every day has 24 hours and every week has 7 days.  And in this time period, we must balance all the things for which we need to make time.  The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  Many of us cheat on that equation and end up suffering adversely for it.  

There is a time to work.  Everyone needs to do some work, not only to contribute to society but to remain mentally focused.  So, even the person living in retirement does some work to contribute and stay mentally sharp. 

 There must be a time to laugh and let loose.  We can’t be bogged down with stress all day long or we will suffer adversely in our health.  There has to be a time to be serious, otherwise, what can be accomplished merely laughing our way through life.

Life is a delicate balancing act, especially as we fill our lives with more and more things, more responsibilities.  When one gets married, or has children, or moves, or gets a new job, or gets an illness, it necessitates a rebalancing of the equation to reflect the new situation but still maintaining the basics of the time for work and time for rest, the time for seriousness and the time for fun and laughter. Perhaps one of life’s greatest challenges is maintaining this balance at all times.  

For me Spring will bring busier days.  We have lots planned to do our our family as the weather gets nicer.  The days of lingering over a good book with a cup of hot chocolate on cold days will be gone.  More things to do and more work too as my yard will be crying for some attention.   So I'll be looking to balance out the changes of the season and remember  to get the rest and relaxation needed too.

Rest and Relax!  Think of it as something you need to do for YOU!

Love, Live, Laugh and Be Happy!

ma