I am preparing for one of my solo get-aways. This is when I make time go away for a few days on my own. I began doing this years ago when I was working and in seminary. My daughter was in middle school and my husband was working his own long hours of teaching and coaching. The weight of all the areas of my life was pressing in. I couldn't name it at the time but I needed to breathe different air. Does that makes sense?
My annual 2-3 day trips away usually include walking outside and taking in the air. Sometimes it is hiking in the state parks in southern Illinois or strolling the sidewalks in a small town looking for a good cup of coffee and homemade pie.
The destinations of my trips are no more than a day's car ride away. That is partly because I feel some guilt over spending money on myself and my own time away. The less extravagant the trip, the lower the cost. But I also stay in the Midwest because it is about simplifying my time and finding parts of myself that get lost in the crush of daily schedules. I have found peaceful, simple, lovely get-away spots in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.
Maybe it is my guilt of not my taking my family with that I do not call these vacations. It is not so much about a destination and sight-seeing. It is more about being quiet with myself: listening to myself as I slow down, meeting local people, finding time to be creative, not rushing to finish my meal and do the next thing. I breathe new air and let it fill me.
It is no surprise that a Bible verse that routinely speaks to me is "Be still and know that is am God." (Psalm 46) That is my "itinerary" for a few days next week.
To listen deeply.
To be still.
And to breathe.
My annual 2-3 day trips away usually include walking outside and taking in the air. Sometimes it is hiking in the state parks in southern Illinois or strolling the sidewalks in a small town looking for a good cup of coffee and homemade pie.
The destinations of my trips are no more than a day's car ride away. That is partly because I feel some guilt over spending money on myself and my own time away. The less extravagant the trip, the lower the cost. But I also stay in the Midwest because it is about simplifying my time and finding parts of myself that get lost in the crush of daily schedules. I have found peaceful, simple, lovely get-away spots in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.
Maybe it is my guilt of not my taking my family with that I do not call these vacations. It is not so much about a destination and sight-seeing. It is more about being quiet with myself: listening to myself as I slow down, meeting local people, finding time to be creative, not rushing to finish my meal and do the next thing. I breathe new air and let it fill me.
It is no surprise that a Bible verse that routinely speaks to me is "Be still and know that is am God." (Psalm 46) That is my "itinerary" for a few days next week.
To listen deeply.
To be still.
And to breathe.
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