It’s only a week after Spring Break, and I’m already dreaming of the sunny Saturday and Sunday that we are promised this weekend. I went back and re-read this post to remind myself that I don’t have to wait for Spring Break to have some down time. Looking forward to accomplishing relaxation again this weekend.
Today, I had the joy of having a day off work and a daughter who just wanted to have some down time in her bedroom. I know, right?! Graciously (and without hesitation!), I took the opportunity to pick up the shovel and start mulching the beds down by the river rock creek. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day–sunny, breezy, not too hot. I reveled in the moment.
After awhile, however, my body kindly suggested it was time for a break. I sat on my front porch and surveyed the scene
in front of me, antsy to get back out there but knowing my shoulder needed a break. It got me to thinking about how the
who can resist making art with all these colors?!
homesteader/gardener/farmer can relax when the body says, “STOP!”
- Sit on your porch, deck, stoop or at your kitchen table and just take in all you’ve created–it is a moment you’ve earned. For me, it also let’s me get a bit sentimental or spiritual and think about how far I’ve come since that time in my life or how knowing these skills have changed my life.
- Journal, blog, twitter–write, write, write. Share what you’ve learned or just comment on what’s growing in the garden this season.
- Photograph, paint, collage, draw–document your activities–not only will it help you plan for future planting seasons or canning adventures, but it will also inspire others and share a little more beauty with this world
- Study up on a new skill–needless to say, there are plenty to learn on this journey we call life.
- Stroll through the garden, tiptoe through the tulips, sip tea under the trees. Take comfort in the peaceful moments Nature has to offer.
- Take a nap–outside or in, it does a body good.
- Lie on the ground and look up–one of my personal favorite–there’s a whole other world living up in the trees
- Invite friends or family over to enjoy your homestead too–get out your favorite jar of jam and homemade bread, throw a handful of mint in some tea, slice up some veggies. Smile, laugh, and share.
For those of us who derive so much pleasure from doing, it’s hard to remember that sometimes, we can derive happiness from being. So sit in the garden and talk to the birds or peruse through a cookbook at your kitchen table. Me, I’ll be fingering through my seed packets and dreaming of warm, juicy tomatoes and pickled dill cukes.
