Time Out

TIME OUT allows us to slow down enough to think about what we do and how it affects our lives and our world. Sometimes we realize we need this pause and we do it consciously, and sometimes life obliges us to do it.

I took such a pause and experienced how good it feels to get rid of the buzz, the noise and the frenzy to create a space where I could actually hear my own thoughts. I reconnected with old friends living in distant places, socialized much less and didn’t miss it, grew closer with a small circle of friends and rediscovered the joy of conversations that had nothing to do with business. Books and reading have always been important to me and this reconnection with well-written stories and exciting characters in a book with pages remains pure joy.

My pause began by disconnecting from Facebook for over a year. It wasn’t easy to wean myself from staring at the screen, following what everyone was doing, even people I didn’t know and would never meet. Eventually, it worked and Social Media was added to the “Don’t Need or Miss List.” Now I enjoy Social Media, but I’m no longer hooked on it.

So what’s next? More balance, silence when it’s needed and lots of time in nature, which brings me to a basic concept of Creating a Healthy Interior: Leave your shoes by the door when you return home. Think about where you’ve been walking and what’s still on the soles of your shoes…lawn and garden pesticides, oil spills, animal droppings and more. Imagine your children crawling or playing on the floor, or yourself walking barefoot on those same floors. Hummmm…