31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 11

Words from Ann Voskamp echo in my head and settle in my heart.



          Doesn’t all the hurry makes us hurt? 


          Slow never killed time. It’s the the rushing and racing, the trying to catch up, this is what kills 
          time — ourselves.
          Why in the world do we keep wounding ourselves?

          Life is not an emergency.

All this pressure to do things right, to do them now, to get it all done, to be everything to everyone are overwhelming. Always feeling like I'm underachieving. My heart racing as I think about Fall - got to decorate, make pies, make memories. Then I start thinking about Christmas and November and all the things I want to do to prepare, and it all comes crashing down.

Too much.

I need space. And lots of it. Mental, physical, spiritual space - time to think, and dream, and breathe.

Without space I'm likely to crack, to stop dead in my tracks, to fall off this speeding train. And I no long function.

I need space to replenish, rejuvenate, to focus.

I need space to listen.

And I realize now, that taking this time is crucial to my happiness. I can fall into a rut quicker than you can push me in. The pressure I put on myself is triple any you can put on me, but yours always adds to mine. Always. Sometimes you have to relent. Sometimes you have to give me space. Sometimes you have to think before you speak. Sometimes it is better not to say anything at all.

Just give me space.