Respite

I am not good at taking breaks - it comes with the genes. Finding the 'off' switch has never been easy for me, so I've decided that I have to start scheduling breaks. This ties into the idea of the 'Gone Dark' days which I talked about last week - oops, this was supposed to be the first one, wasn't it? Well, I had several this past week, so I guess that will have to do.

Speaking of this past week, and about respite, I've realized that finding a tranquil spot is not enough to relax - you must actually will yourself to take time out. Rest is much more about a state of being rather than a specific action, I believe. This past week I was in Ucluelet staying with my family. This could have been a really hectic time, as my family is full of busy people. But I decided that I was going to enjoy the busyness rather than fight against it, and I had a great week. Yes, it could be stressful if I allowed it to be, but it wasn't - it was great. 

In the middle of the week I took a few hours and went walking by myself down some rainforest trails that I hadn't been to in years. It was so good to stand in the forest and listen to the birds and smell the cedar and skunk cabbage. It reminded me to force myself to stop and rest and reflect - something I plan on doing much more often.

I finally got the rest of my galleries up, with the Weddings gallery going up just minutes ago! Take a look, and please let me know what you think.