Come Away With Me

My husband and I took a hiatus from life this past weekend. We packed our bags, left the kids with his sister and escaped to a little paradise on the prairies, Historic Reesor Ranch. My God, did we need it. We had an amazing time. We were humbled by the vast blue sky and entranced at night when a billion stars came out. We were overwhelmed with excitement (and a little intimidated!) when a group of four or five horses came running towards us in the field, nibbling our jackets and bumping us with their noses looking for a treat and a rub. We were drunk from the magnificent scenery while riding horseback through the hills, and from the wine at the Cypress Hills Vineyard and Winery.
No kids, no TV, no shopping malls, no telephones (okay, we did listen to the game, Go Riders!) We fell in love all over again. With each other and with ourselves. Taking a break reminded us about what’s important in life. We came home brimming with a refreshed love for our children. And we were prompted to look again at our lives and the things in it we would like to change.
I also took a break from yoga last week. I caught the cold my daughters had been tossing around and really felt down and out. Now, I’m all for practicing yoga while battling an illness. I truly believe it can lead you to a quicker path of recovery. However, being at home with my girls, I had to make a choice. It was either have a much needed rest, or practice yoga. I just don’t have the time for both. So, I decided to give my body what it was craving the most and slept while my little one did.
While on our weekend getaway, I had all the time in the world. So I rolled my mat out onto the grass and had a restorative practice while saluting the sun for real. It was so healing. Yesterday morning I enjoyed a more invigorating class with Tracy and am ready to tackle the world again.
Taking a break is a good thing. My kids had a wonderful time and are learning that things are pretty cool when Mommy isn’t around. Everybody needs a breather from their work, kids, spouse, diet, yoga, so you can learn again to appreciate what you have. No matter how much you love something, you can still use a time-out from it. What can/should you take a break from?

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”- William Shakespeare