It has been a long time since I took time for myself.

A long time since I’ve had the opportunity to really listen and pay attention to my thoughts, honor my own intentions, and fully enjoy my personal time on this precious earth.

I live a fast paced life, every day from dawn to dusk and beyond, my days are packed!!! Hardly a minute comes by where I say “peace, and quiet… this feels nice.” With that in mind, I really truly love my life - the busyness of my ordinary, and extraordinary life, my job, home life, all with its ups and down, BUT, just as much as I crave people, and socialization, I also crave solitude! Actually, I LOVE solitude!!!

Once in a while this extroverted person (me 😅), likes to look within, “lock” myself in, nap, rest, eat to my heart’s desire, and rejoice about my personal journey of life.

Life has been intense this year, it has been filled with so many ups and down, and more than a few times I’ve tired myself from trying to always look at things from a positive perspective, because let’s be honest, that’s great, but that can also be exhausting.

We will never get anywhere, unless we are honest with ourselves, those we love, and those who love us.

Yesterday I spent all day traveling to take my mom home after an almost three month visit in Chicago, and I decided to check myself in a hotel for a few days before heading back home to the hustle and bustle of life. I can tell you right now, it has been one of the best things I’ve done for myself this year so far!

Yesterday I relaxed in the evening, and today, after sleeping in a little, and enjoying a super wonderful breakfast by the pool, I decided to stay in the rest of the day, and recharge before peopling again.

We belong to God, and to ourselves. If we honor that gift, the rest falls into place, and we can be there for those we love, and those who need us, better.

We don’t have to have a perfect setting in order to recharge, solitude comes wrapped in all kinds of forms. Solitude can be found by disconnecting from electronics for a day, telling your family and friends you need a day to recharge and not come to you unless there is some type of urgency. Yes, it’s easy to say, “I can’t, these people depend on me… I have to, I need to, I…” The way I see it is, when we get sick, and life forces us to stop, and we can’t be available to anyone because our bodies are making us stop, then, people find a way to manage without us. None of us are irreplaceable. Yes, we might be able to do certain things better than others, or maybe we have managed to create systems that work, but the world will continue to go on with, or without us.

How lovely to be able to stop, recharge, and feel better just because we are making time for it, and honoring our lives. When we do that, we encourage others to do that for themselves, and when we have rested bodies, and clearer minds, we create stronger bonds with the people we love, and can give a better version of us to those we encounter in our daily lives.

Maya Angelou once said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Beautiful, isn’t it?

My version of self care today happens to be happening at a hotel in Mexico, which hardly ever happens. Cheers to naps, delicious food, and sunshine for the next 24 hours!

Be kind, make someone smile today. ❤️

PS: share with us when was the last time you honored your alone time, and how you spent the day, or hours you purposely sought solitude.