Forget about "time outs", I’m taking a "time in"!!!

What a difference a day makes… Isn’t that a song? Well, kudos to the artist who sings it, because in my life ~ it certainly rings true! Recently my friend C and I were visiting on the phone and we were laughing. We were talking about how every, oh, let’s say 28 days or so we tend to “disappear” and not talk to each other. She says she noticed how I sort of pull in for about 3 days and it used to make her wonder what happened to me, but now after knowing each other for so long, she realized it was me taking a “time in”. She knows me well enough to know that I have to pull away from the demands of anything outside the absolute must’s on my list. Usually this is when I tend to quiet the noise, simplify the to do list, do the bare minimum to just get by. It’s as though I am literally rebooting my system. Debugging my hard drive of all the viruses. Running a scan check to see what “trash” is clogging my files… (aren’t I creative in my symbolism? lol)

Often we give our kids a “time out” when they need to stop and think of what is going on, but I realized that I need to take a “time in” and just… be. As I get older, I have certainly noticed my body cycles and I am so aware of about 72 hours a month, when it’s just better for me to unplug from the chaos and stay in. Yesterday was one of those days. We laughed a lot here at home, but mostly it was my family laughing at my crazy mood. Everything made me want to pop. Yet we somehow managed to still have a fun rainy day together. Truth be told though, I was glad when it was bed time and I could be alone, in the dark silence.

Then to my amazement, today I woke up with a spring in my step, a super smile on my face and joy in my heart! I had a wonder-filled morning at church, enjoyed the awesome sermon my friend gave, loved talking to different church members and welcoming our newest members to the Northwoods community. I felt loved and I felt love. Even when my heel caught in the sidewalk crack and popped off of my foot, (although embarrassed) I laughed and found it funny.

Ohhhhh, what a difference a day makes indeed! I am so glad I know my cycles and know when to give myself a “time in” so that I can take a moment or two, breathe, wait, sleep, wait… and hooray for the new day! So I guess what I’m thinking today is:
1. It’s OK to take a “Time IN” ~ and put it all on hold for a day or two (not too long, or you’ll pay later – ha)
2. Try to be aware of your cycles so that you can feel where you are and know what you need.
3. Know that it’s OK, you are OK, and it will all be OK!