Frolicking Squirrels as Stress Relief

Tuesday Tranquil Time # 2:

Right now I’m sitting outside on our balcony in a comfy, round chair my mom gave us with Roo-Bear the cat sharing the chair with me, looking out at the sunshine peeking through the heart-shaped leaves of the big, beautiful trees shading our apartment.  For my Tranquil Time on this Tuesday, I’ve decided to rest and reflect after a tiring day.  

I felt ‘meh’ when I first came home today.  Do you know this feeling?  It’s when you’re too exhausted to really even think about anything.  It’s when you don’t even know what you want to eat or where you want to go, despite the beautiful sunshine shining brightly still after work.  It’s when you don’t feel like doing anything.

These kind of days can come to us all and sometimes serve as reminders for what is really important in our lives: love, family, friendship, kindness, nature, inspiring words and people, fresh air, having a warm roof over our heads.  So today I also choose to use my Tuesday Tranquil Time to remember all that I am grateful for and take time to feel this thankfulness deep down in my heart though long, peaceful breaths.

I also want to celebrate the ability to make choices.  I sometimes don’t appreciate this enough and I can feel overwhelmed by all the great opportunities out there at times.  But isn't it grand that we have choices?  That we can choose to go here or there or eat this or that or say one thing or not.  Today I chose to stay home and rest.  I really wanted to go for a hike because it's sunny and nice out, but my body told me to rest because I was physically and mentally exhausted after a long day.  

And while resting out on this peaceful balcony, Roo-Bear and I have been able to witness squirrels frolicking in the trees and taking flight to launch themselves onto the roof above our apartment.  How can one be ‘meh’ while watching frolicking squirrels?  It takes me right out of that state of mind and into a more creative, reflective, appreciative state.  And I am grateful for that.

How do you get rid of a ‘meh’ feeling when it visits you?

Tranquil Time Tuesdays

As I sit looking out at the Puget Sound hearing the waves lap at the shore and hearing the birds calling and boats buzzing by, I am stuck with extreme gratitude for living in such a beautiful world. The sun is shining and the weather is warm, a special treat for us Seattleites indeed and I have a little bit of free time to unwind after a busy day. I randomly decided to organize all the papers and ideas in my purse this afternoon to hopefully give me a better sense of control. I frequently am struck with a wide array of ideas but don't really have a good system in place yet for organizing all these ideas, so I took a trip to the dollar store after work and found a few purse-sized organizational tools I'm going to try. I haven't yet found a tool that works with my sometimes random thought patterns and flow, but it's important to try to gain some kind of control over my purse and ideas, so I'm trying. :) The warm sunshine on my face and cool breeze on my arms and breathtaking view for my eyes are helping inspire me to stay focused. Yet here I am writing this blog from my smart phone! I feel especially moved to write about my journey through wellness when I'm taking good care of myself, like right now. Taking a few minutes just for me to get organized, relax and take some sweet sea-scented breaths on a sunny summery afternoon helps me manage stress that has visited throughout the day and better prepares me for any unexpected stress in the near future. But I've learned that relaxing requires regular upkeep, like having to water a plant so it will keep looking fresh and healthy. This time to unwind is essential for my well-being and spirit. So here's a shout out to Tuesday...cheers to enjoying tranquil time today! 

How do you make tranquil time for your spirit?