Rural Living - Time at the lake

Where’s your happy place?

Breathe.

Relax.

Be still and calm, it will create balance in our life.

How hard it this?!

Living in a rural community, experiencing the calming sounds of crickets, birds singing and cows bellowing on a daily basis, you would think I’d be pretty calm and chill. 

Well, most of my days working from home,  I’m constantly in hurry up mode.    I repeatedly say to myself – “Andrea, you don’t have to hurry, you have time”, but I hurry to get that one more thing done or checked off my list.  Hurry when walking the dogs, hurry when typing that important paper, hurrying when eating.  You guys do talk to yourselves sometimes, right?!

Chill time matters friends!  It’s a wonderful reset & renew.  It’s super helpful for your emotional and physical wellbeing.   Calm reduces blood pressure, respiratory issues and anxious feelings among many other health issues. Stress and anxiety are triggers for many dis-eases.  I don’t relax enough, do you?

With that being said, I set out to my families cabin, boat and lake life for just a few days, which honestly I don’t do enough.   My intent was to chill.  I figured two days would be plenty of time, right? 

Day one – no chill, fun but was not able to let go and relax, not on the boat, not floating in the tube, not during the time around the beautifully flaming orange camp fire.  Argh.

Day two – better, just a bit.  The morning was a bit relaxing with a slow, calm walk around the pond seeing beautiful cat tails with colorful dragonflies fluttering about.  The huge yellow, orange, white and black coy, catfish and little sunnies all followed me around the pond as I was walking.  The big hairy spider did scare me just a bit!

And then, the afternoon…..on the boat, as we were headed to our favorite float spot on the lake my dad giggled.   My heart warmed and I got a huge smile on my face.  Then, my dad shook his head and giggled again.  I’ve never heard my dad giggle before, not in 76 years.  He’s a hard working mason, who has worked with his hands his entire life creating beautiful, unique stone and brick fireplaces and homes for people.  I asked, “dad, what’s the giggle for?”  He replied, “GOD (not to take the Lord’s name in vain) it’s BEAUTIFUL TODAY, JUST BEAUTIFUL, it’s the PERFECT DAY!”  He was in aw of the lake and the mountains that surround it. His giggle put it all into perspective.  I am relaxed, calm and giddy on the lake with my family.  Mission accomplished.

Where is your happy place? 

Take time (even if it is just for 2 days) to relax and chill – it’s important for your health, emotionally and physically.