Staying in the Sun

Treasa and I along with our kids just got back from an amazing vacation down to our old stomping grounds in El Paso, TX. We had a lot of fun with good friends, I got to do some golfing, Treasa got to do some shopping, and the kids did a bunch of swimming. We had such a great time, and we now return home refreshed and excited about the future. 

As I've been getting back into the swing of things, I've been thinking a bit about our time away. During our vacation, it took me a while to really unwind and relax. Really, it took me the better part of a week.

Can I just say, when you're on vacation, and you're not relaxing or acting like you're on vacation, that's no fun for the rest of your family.

Looking back, for me to take a week to unwind, means I was pretty wound up. Truth is, I was too wound up. 

Two big take aways for me...

One, don't wait so long for a vacation, that when it arrives, it takes the whole trip to get me back to feeling normal.

Two, find ways to live my daily life where I can have mini-moments of vacation, rest, and relaxation to keep me in a healthy spot.

Proverbs 12:25 says, "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad."

Anxiety and stress weighs us down. We don't deal with people or circumstances well when we are anxiety ridden, even when we are trying to give it our best. 

We may be working through lunch and through the weekend to get something important done, but what kind of quality work are we doing? What kind of quality are we going to bring the Monday after? Most importantly, what quality of friend, spouse, or parent are we when we're pushing that hard?

I'm feeling pretty good today, but I just spent a bunch of time in the sun. The bigger and more important challenge is, how do I stay in the sun until my next big trip! How about you?