Days Of Deceleration

Days of deceleration.

I’ve welcomed mornings of waking up without an alarm (even though I wake up about the same time anyway).

I’ve given myself permission to breathe deeper, move slower, and linger longer.

I’ve basked in the quiet, soaked in the beauty of rest, and found joy in just “being.”

It’s good to take your foot off the accelerator for a time.

To pause.

To rest.

To slow down.

To linger.

And to take care of yourself.

I’ll never forget how a speaker at a conference years ago said to us sitting in the audience,

“You never want to take your foot off the pedal. If you do, you’ll lose steam, and you’ll have to work twice as hard to catch up.”

Huh??

Silly me, I believed this woman. I did what she said, because I wanted what she had. She seemed to ooze “success.” For years I kept the “pedal to the metal,” working as much as I could, only to realize I was on the fast-track to burnout, and worse yet, to self-destruction.

I learned the hard way “success” is not keeping your foot on the accelerator. It’s quite the opposite. May I suggest to you, friend, don’t ever listen to anyone who says taking time to decelerate is a mistake. It’s necessary. Necessary for rest. Necessary for growth. Necessary for a healthy physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

It’s necessary for life.

The girl I used to be–the one who worked all the time–couldn’t have been much fun to be around. Hope, joy, and peace weren’t found in my life much then. I was carrying more of a load, than being filled with life.

What’s that old saying??

All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.

(Okay, so I improvised.)

Let’s spur each other on to decelerate, and to take time off.

And when we do, we aren’t to feel guilty.

Thoughts of “you’re being lazy,” or “you should be doing something” had a tendency to fill my mind when I first began to apply the brakes years ago. I had to consciously dismiss them. It wasn’t easy. I sometimes had to force myself to sit. To do nothing. To breathe.

But over time, I’ve been able to let go, and not feel guilty when taking time off. I can now thoroughly enjoy myself in down times.

Rejoice in times of rest, however long it is, friend. If you haven’t decelerated in awhile, I encourage you to do so soon. It’ll be the best thing you’ve done for yourself in quite some time. And, I believe you’ll be glad you did.

Cheering you on today,

Julie

 

It’s a joy to link this post with two friends of mine:  Holly with #TestimonyTuesday and Kelly with #RaRaLinkup. You’ll find much joy and encouragement in each space.