Space

I needed space, a little time away. So I took it.

Thankfully I have a husband who totally respects My Need for Space that arises, and when I told him I needed it, we rearranged the afternoon as needed. I grabbed a lunch, my beach chair, book, notebook and pen and headed to the first place that came to mind- the D.A.R. state forest, which happens to be about 3 minutes from my house.

I wanted to be by the water.

As I get older, I realize what a calming effect water has on me. Doesn't seem to matter if it's a stream, a river, a lake or the ocean. They all seem to do the trick. As I write this, I hear the water lapping against the shore, and while the wind is chilly, the sun warms my face. I feel like I am slowly recharging.

Lately, as our lives have gotten busier with my obligations and Steve's obligations, I've let Me Time slide. I concentrated more on friend time, family time and couple time. That's all fine and well until I found myself in tears this morning (which is relatively unusual for me).

I felt frazzled and I felt frustrated. Upon reflection, I realized it was because I was depleted. I needed space and I needed time to refuel.

So here I am. I have about an hour left before I head back to the vacuuming, to the grocery list making, to the booger wiping, to my dear family. I think I'll crack open my book for a while. It's been a long time since I read during daylight hours.

It's been a long time since I made a conscious effort to quiet my mind.