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| Abby wants to play. |
Today I feel invigorated. Why? I took a long weekend (Friday through Monday) and went to Tioga. I haven’t been up for probably two years, but an invitation for a “cousins” weekend was one I couldn’t pass up. It was only three of us but it was a nice, relaxing time.
That short reprieve from my everyday routine was just the shot in the arm I needed. It decluttered my mind from the oodles of stuff that constantly load up my mind like papers that build up on the desk or laundry that grows in the basket.
When I was away, I had hoped to brainstorm some ideas for work-related projects, but I didn’t. I decided instead to walk, play Yahtzee and share memories. I replaced that cluttered mind with a relative vacuum…nothing in there but whatever flew into my senses at the moment.
Oddly enough, this morning when I sat down to write my morning pages, the ideas I wanted to brainstorm this past weekend fell onto the page without any effort at all. It seems the decluttering of my mind this weekend had surprise benefits today. (I guess my mind had a bit of jet lag even though the 3 1/2-hour trip was by highway.)
I think I now know why retreats are so valuable. It’s not only the time away from the everyday rut but also the lingering benefits of an uncluttered mind afterward.
When was the last time you decluttered your mind? I highly recommend putting some play into your day so you gain a fresh outlook and ideas. Just ask Abby. She knows the value of play.
