A Fresh Outlook-Taking Some Time For Yourself.

This is a photo of the sunset on my drive today.  So serene.  

Taking some personal time is an imperative aspect of living a balanced lifestyle.  The past few weeks have been very long and very busy for me, so I decided that since this weekend was a 3-day weekend, I was going to take some "me" time.  I had a work "on-site retreat" Saturday and Sunday, so that ruled out going anywhere too far, or going home, so I decided that Monday I would treat myself.

The whole week I tried to get friends to come with me to San Francisco, but since it is midterms time, a lot of them needed to study, or had plans to go home already. . . and after making other plans with other people and having them slip through a little, today finally rolled around, and I hadn't planned anything.  For me, this started off as a sad thing.  I am a born planner.  I like to have things set up and ready to go far in advance, but every experience in a time to grow, and I know that.  So, I woke up, went to breakfast with a friend, took my time going back to my room, did some laundry, and when that was all done with, I decided to get dressed in a cute sundress (it was actually warm up here, so I wanted to savor the time I had), and go on a drive.  I picked a spot to start and just went from there.  I decided to pick a place with a lot of farm land, because I love seeing all the horses and large patches of land.  It felt SO wonderful to get away for a few hours, blast country music, and escape into my own thoughts.  I thought about the rest of the semester, I thought about where I was in life, where I had come from, and how far I had come.  I just drove and thought, and saw.

Now, this could be done in many different ways.  You could walk instead of drive.  And you could pick a specific destination, like a park or field to just walk around at.  You can play whatever music you like.  You could bring a journal to write in, or a book to read.  I also, decided to dress up a little.  You don't have to do this, but for me, if I feel cute, I also feel better about myself. So, I wanted to dress up a little instead of just drive around in my sweats.  But if you are most comfortable in your sweats or a favorite pair of jeans, then go with that instinct.  Whatever it is, just take some time for yourself.  You deserve it! And you will be so amazed at how good you feel after!