This past Saturday, I did something I rarely do – spent the entire day shopping and hanging out with a good friend.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy being with my friend. Quite the opposite. We always laugh and have a great time together. But it had been so long since the last time we’d done more than had a quick lunch together, neither of us could remember when we’d spent an entire day doing something fun. (In fact, it’s been several years!)
Overdue for a day of lighthearted fun, I enjoyed every minute of it, once I got out of the house.
However, in the days leading up to our adventure, I will admit I felt some anxiety… not about hanging out with her, but about the work at home I’d spend a whole day ignoring.
Right now, I’ve got three book projects I’m working on, which means I get a little stressed and tend to think I must spend every waking moment working on work. No fun should be had until I finish the projects. (I’m hard-wired to be a work first, have fun later kind of girl.)
Yet, sometimes, the best thing we can do is step away and take a break. Give ourselves a period of grace: Relax and do nothing. Go on an adventure. Take a walk. Sit in quiet peacefulness.
Because it is in those sweet moments of grace where we find what we need to continue.
I’m definitely a work in progress, but I love this idea of holding myself to a standard of grace instead of perfection.
And if that means a few more days of sheer fun with friends – count me in.
