Alarms off

Last night, I was drifting off to sleep when I suddenly remembered an important summer ritual.  It was time to turn the alarms off!

Clicking the button that says 5:40 am School from on to off felt liberating to say the least.  However, when this first glorious morning of summer rolled around, I woke anyway.  It seems that my body must be programmed to get up and get moving on Mondays.

Turning that alarm off means more than simply not having to rise and shine each day.  The daily routines and busyness of the school year are also turned off as we move to summer.  My girls have schedules that will allow them to rest, to play, and to grow in different ways through the summer.  They will spend time with me, with their grandparents, and with friends.  There are camps, vacations, and Vacation Bible School all to enjoy over the coming months  There will be routine, but there will also be a lot of fun.  Last night, my youngest daughter caught her first lightning bug of the summer.  It was the sign that summer has officially arrived.

So what?  Why does this matter?  For many, summer still means early days of work and regular routines.  For children, though, everything changes for the summer.  Whether summer is spent with a family member because parents are at work, at day camps, or with friends, summer means a time of rest and rejuvenation.  The reality is, we all need a metaphorical summer:  a time where our bodies and minds can rest and rejuvenate.

Our days are crammed with a variety of stresses.  Our bodies and spirits cannot maintain those stresses long term.  We need to find ways to destress, take a break, and rejuvenate.  It is opposite what society mandates, but it is critical.  Just like my body is programmed to wake up each day, and just like it will take a few days for me to decompress and fully relax, our minds need time to decompress also.

Imagine what would happen to your relationships when we can take the time to just spend time.  Imagine what would happen to your spirit when we can take the time to focus on your relationship with God and/or your inner self.  Imagine what could be.

I am not sure what every individual's "summer" looks like.  Perhaps it is simply finding 30 minutes each day for yourself.  Perhaps it is a vacation that is not cram packed with things to do/see.  Perhaps it is a weekend with no schedule or even all alone.  But, I know this....we all need something to help us keep finding ourselves over and over so that we do not become lost in the everyday mundane and so that our spirits can breathe.