Earlier this week, I woke up feeling cold. It’s finally been cool enough to open our windows in Pennsylvania. Only one morning our windows were still open, and it was forty-eight degrees outside. It felt like I went to bed and it was summer time, then I woke up and
Now it is fall.
Where did this year go? In some ways, many of us can take solace in the fact that 2020 isn’t dragging its heels. As, let’s be honest—none of us will be sad to see it go. But probably like me, you too are feeling that in the midst of all the upheaval, the social distancing, and the waiting for a cure,
We’ve lost some of the best parts of this year.
The traditions, holidays, and seasonal activities of summer have looked different. Or, they’ve been cancelled altogether. We’ve missed going to concerts, community events, local food festivals, and even larger gatherings with those we love. But perhaps worst of all, many of us have had to cancel our vacation plans. Or at minimum, alter them drastically.
The problem with this is that we are all tired. Vacations are meant to help us take a break from all that weighs on us both mentally and physically. Only this year, they’ve been one more source of disappointment. A reminder of another good thing we’re missing because of COVID. And, I believe this is a bigger loss than we realize.
Rest is not something we do well in our culture. So though many of us have been experiencing one of the most difficult years of our lives—we’re not getting the breaks we need to restore our strength. This means, we’re creating a deficit within ourselves that if we don’t remedy soon, we’ll experience the effects of, for months or even years to come.
Though many of us have been experiencing one of the most difficult years of our lives—we’re not getting the breaks we need to restore our strength.
That is why today, I want to share three simple, affordable ways to create “mini-vacations” for yourself and your loved ones this season. Though none of them will be as exciting as your trip overseas or to the beach—they will give both your mind and body a break from all that is weighing you down.
Take a real sabbath.
In the Bible, God commanded his people to take one day off a week. To completely forget about the projects they had around the house, what work they hadn’t finished in their job, and even, what drama was going on in their community. To truly rest. Take a look at your calendar, and find the closest day to today that you can take a real day off. If you need more ideas of what this can look like, listen to this conversation between Annie Downs and John Mark Comer.
Do something special.
Pack a picnic of your favorite foods, grab your closest people, go somewhere beautiful nearby, and eat together on a blanket on the grass. Get takeout from your favorite restaurant. Open that bottle of wine you’ve been saving. Pick a few hours and do something you’d only do on vacation. If you need a few ideas, check out this post from earlier this summer.
Download My Six Ways to Find Focus in a Pandemic—no really.
One of the many reasons so many of us struggle to find focus, is because we struggle to rest. This free download that I share with all of my email subscribers, will give you six ways to rest in such a way to help you find focus in your life. Each practice is also followed with three or more questions to help you discover how to tailor fit it to your personality and lifestyle. Get your free copy by signing up for my email list here (And, if you’re getting too many emails in your inbox these days, I won’t be offended if you unsubscribe after downloading this resource. I genuinely care about you finding rest, rejuvenation, and of course, focus).
