Trying to find a moment of calm in the chaos of the day sometimes feels impossible. I find my shoulders inching up closer to my ears, my jaw clenching and tension building in my shoulders the closer it gets to time for school to be out and my husband getting home from work. That is when my focus shifts from getting as much work done as I can to homework, what’s for dinner and the clean up. It’s a lot harder to work from home than I imagined it would be. Some days I feel like I’m stuck on a hamster wheel, it’s exhausting. It’s difficult for me to get past the feeling that I have to be able to say “this is what I have accomplished today” and feeling like it’s never enough. I have decided that this is absolutely not how I want to live, so I have to learn how to find my center of calm. I am beginning to realize that 15 or 20 minutes a day of quieting my mind is not waste of time and it is okay to do. It actually makes me feel so much better, therefore happier, which in turn makes me think more clearly and able to get through the day with a much lower stress level and that benefits everyone in the home. I realize that, for me, it will take time to get to where I want to be. Every day I hope to get a little closer.
We are still stuck in winter here in Northern Idaho and I’m not real big on going out in the snow and getting cold and wet. I like to take a few minutes either in front of the fire or watching the birds at the feeder outside the window and just quiet my mind. A little deep breathing, a quietly said prayer and a hot cup of tea go a long way towards healing my soul.
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~ Isiah 40:31
