Days Like Today

Some days are days like today.

Last night I dreamed of an earthquake.  My dreams are always really vivid and usually hidden somewhere in them is some sort of meaning.  As I do many days, I got out of the shower and googled the meaning of this dream.  “To dream of an earthquake suggests that you are experiencing a major ‘shake-up’ that is threatening your stability and foundation.”

I’ve been going so hard and fast lately that I haven’t taken enough time for myself.  I’ve only been home three weekends out of the year.  My friends and social life have been abandoned.  When I get home, generally all I have time to do during the week is unpack, catch up on sleep and get ready for my next trip.  I’m not complaining, because I love what I do.  But, these are just the facts of my life right now.

Lately, I haven’t taken enough time to process thoughts, sort out intentions or be in touch with myself.  I haven’t had much time lately to think about where this life of mine is going or whether the goals I hold are worthwhile.  My habits have flown to the wayside.

I haven’t been talking to God lately as much as I should.  My habit of reading the Bible every night before I go to bed has fallen out-of-place.  I don’t feel like my goals are as in line as they should be and I feel like my action plan for achieving them could be set out better.

I had a doctor’s appointment at 8:30 a.m.  I’m a big advocate of trusting your body and the signals it sends you.  For a few days, I’ve felt like something is off and was experiencing some pain.  The good news is that nothing major is wrong and since I trusted my body, we caught things early.

But, had we not, things really could have been shaken up.  At least a lot worse than they were today.

Having days like the one I had today forces me to slow down.  They force me to take a look at the people and things I’ve been exerting energy on in recent months.  Were those people and things worth it?  Or do I need to take a step away?

Days like today help me prioritize what’s important.  They make me realize that yes, this life is short.  These days of mine are the one shot I get to be on this planet.  How am I living these days?  What am I doing to make myself and the world around me better?

Days like today put into focus that believe it or not, this life is about more than me.

Today, and the news I got, serve as a gentle reminder that so long as you are alive, God gives us one more chance.  He gives us another chance to slow down, make things right, forgive the things in your past that aren’t and go forward.  As painful as this reminder could have been, I’m glad that my life wasn’t shaken too badly today.

I’ve gone back and forth since this morning about whether or not I should write anything about the day I had today.  But ultimately, I’m an open book with all of you.  My real reason in writing this though, is to motivate all of you to trust yourselves.  When something felt off with my body, at first I thought, “I’m too busy right now to slow down and go to the doctor.”  I could have very well ignored it.  Who knows what would have happened if I did ignore it.  However, that was a risk I was unwilling to take.

So, I really write all of this for one reason:  Take time for yourself.

Take time for your health.  Take time for your heart.  Take time for your mind.  Take time for your soul.

Because if you don’t, things can get shaken up.