Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.
~ Anne Lamott
There’s a rumor floating around that summer is over but I don’t believe one word of it.
Temperatures in Washington, DC are still hovering in the low 90’s, corn on the cob is still in season, along with awesome tasty tomatoes, and I’m continuing to wear flip flops to work even though the calendar says September.
I admit I have seen a few signs that some kind of seasonal change is upon us such as leaves changing colors and falling off trees, and stores stocking up on cold weather clothes but as usual, I am resisting the urge to welcome Fall.
Still, with Labor Day happening this past weekend, I was in need of unplugging from my usual busy work/life routine and I was able to take some steps to bring down the stress level which is always a good thing.
I hope you too were able to unplug this past Labor Day weekend because you definitely deserve it right? I think we all work hard to do our best and in the interest of our health need to disconnect and set aside some time for self-healing.
I took a yoga class on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of a brand new teacher. He was a young man fresh from training and he took a very different approach from the seasoned teacher who has been directing my class for the past few months. The change was a good one and set a calming tone within myself for the holiday weekend. Yoga is a reward I give myself, a gift that keeps on giving if you will. It teaches me the valuable lessons of how to slow down, focus my attention on the present and resist those nasty feelings of stress.
Georgia Avenue Thrift Store
Then later in the day one of my sisters and I went and checked out a neighborhood thrift store which was new for her but not for me. We both love to browse through second hand stores, consignment stores, church opportunity shops and yard sales. We love this kind of unstructured shopping and feel it’s similar to a scavenger hunt or searching for treasure.
It’s fun and relaxing because you never know what you’re going to find and hopefully what you do find has a great price. We also catch up with each other as we’re shopping and usually end up talking to lots of other shoppers who are happy to give their opinions about how something looks once you try it on.
Flowers + Friends = Party
But the best unplugging activity of the weekend was a long overdue dinner at my house with some of my great friends. I say it was overdue because I initially planned this dinner in March but unexpected events delayed it from happening and then everyone’s overworked calendars got in the way (including mine) and the stars didn’t align again for a group gathering until this past weekend.
Love, love, love those long, late and lively dinners full of silly stories and spontaneous laughter. THE BEST!!
Friends are truly the most fabulous stress reducers. Plus my son and his fiance also were in town and they joined the fun which made it a total party!! When you have friends that you have known for decades and they enjoy you (they are so kind!) as much you enjoy them (woot woot!) then you are definitely one lucky person!!
Here’s to three-day weekends my resilient readers and to having the opportunity to unplug, reboot and recharge.
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