I Played Hooky from Work & It Revitalized My Soul

“Follow your dreams, to the fields unknown, to where wild flowers sink into the sun. I will meet you there, and we shall dance until the sun rises once again.”
– Red Deer

It had been a long week. In the daytime, I worked on freelance projects, in the night time, I taught yoga or writing workshops. By Friday, I came home after working, teaching, and healing people for over 70 hours. My body had given up. I was exhausted. I lay on the couch thinking about all the things I still had to do and somehow drifted to sleep.

I never sleep during the day. There are very few times that I have slept during the day. I’ve done it when I had my wisdom teeth out, or everytime I’ve had bronchitis, or the times that I had surgery and was doped up on pain killers, but generally I never sleep during the day. So when I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I had worked too hard, burnt the candle at both ends, and now my body was taking revenge.

In the meantime, my creativity was gone. I tried to write, I tried to muster any drop of creative juices out but nothing came. The more I wrote, the more frustrated I got.

Until I just told myself to stop. Just stop, I said to myself. Instead, I turned to my trusty angel cards by Doreen Virtue. The ones that never let me down. And I pulled this card…

It says, “Beloved One, it’s time to set aside work for a while. Don’t worry; we will oversee your responsibilities to their completion. Playfullness, gaiety, and laughter will lift your energy, so that you’ll return to work with a renewed perspective and heightened energy.”

Wow. These were exactly the words I needed to hear. So I stopped. I took a WHOLE day for ME. I turned off my computer and put away my work for one day and this is what I did…

Slept In and Cuddled with My Dog

I honestly don’t even know the last time I slept in past 8 o’clock. It was glorious.

Promoted Peace, Let Go of Doubt

After some deep meditation and I nice long walk, I came to two startling conclusions about my life. The first was, as a healer it is impossible to heal others if you do not make time to heal yourself. In my work week and even on the weekends, the only time in the past few months that I have spent just for ME was when I slept. That is unacceptable. No wonder I was feeling exhausted. The second conclusion I came to is that when I am filled with doubt, I will never accomplish my goals or feel good about my steps. Doubting myself, doubting my world and generally living in a state of hectic anxiety has never provided for me. It does not serve me. And so I choose to maintain a sense of peace and tranquility in my heart. I know that peace begins within.

Spent Hours on the Beach

A month ago on the plane back from New York, the lady sitting next to me said, “you must love living in Miami, it’s such grounding energy.” I had never thought of it that way before but this atmosphere unveils something beautiful in me. As a child, I always loved the beach. I’m a toes in the sand kind of girl. And being in the water, sitting on the beach, or feeling the ocean breeze in my hair, I feel completely at one with the universe. Sitting on the beach on my day off I was inspired to write a poem (something I haven’t done in a while). It was glorious. I then spent time cleaning the ocean (why do people trash the ocean?), frolicking in the waves, and basking in the sunshine.

Bought a milkshake

I haven’t had a milkshake in a very long time. In the past, I might have said, “oh it’s not healthy,” or “I don’t need all those calories.” But today I said, “screw it, I’m getting a milkshake!” It was amazing. Every sip reminded me of my childhood and the trips to the ice cream shop that my mom and dad would take me on. There’s something to be said about reconnecting with your inner child. We, as adults, should do it more often.

Pampered Myself

There’s something spiritual about pampering yourself. It’s like saying to the universe, “yes I care about myself. Yes I deserve to feel great.” I hadn’t had a pedicure for months. Like well over 6 months. I just kept doing them for myself. So I decided, I’m going to go get a spa pedicure with bubbles and pretty colored nail-polish. And I did. And it was glorious.

Read an Inspiring Book

Sometimes all you need is an inspirational book to lift your spirits. I Can See Clearly Now by Dr. Wayne Dyer was just what I needed. In this passage, Dr. Dyer says, “my writing gave me a kind of confirmation that I didn’t need anything outside myself in order to make a living. I loved the knowing that I carried the tools I needed to become completely self-sufficient.” As a writer, I really needed to hear these words. I really needed confirmation that my book was already inside me, that I didn’t need to search or struggle to write it, that I didn’t need to DOUBT whether I will be a published author one day. Everything I desire is already within me.

Thanked God

In the past few months I have connected to God in many different forms. I have connected to Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, Mohammed. And I have found that the God I know doesn’t come with a name or an image or any attachment. To me, God lies within. And so when I thank God, I am also thanking myself, and the birds and the trees and the sun and the sky and the earth below my feet. I am thanking the Universe. I am thankful for every religion and all its teachings and I am thankful for mother Earth and all her blessings. On a day that I took off to revitalize my soul, I couldn’t have felt more connected to Spirit. I felt like everywhere I went was a reminder of all the beauty of this life.

What a beautiful day!

I’ll be sure to take more days for me. Not just when I’m completely exhausted.