Sunday, February 21, 2010

Stand still, even if it's so difficult



I am taking a minute now to stand still. Well, actually I am not standing, or even sitting, I am totally sprawled out on a couch that isn't even mine. I am exhausted. Andrew and I have been up in Montana skiing and it is beautiful. Everything about it. You get off of the lift at the top of the mountain and have a full view of Glacier National Park, Whitefish Lake and the Flathead Valley. The place we are staying really feels more like staying at a good friends home than a lodge. You pad down in the morning in your socks for breakfast and coffee in front of the fire. Everyone staying here talks like old friends coming together for a weekend.
The point of my post is that I was rushing around like crazy getting ready to come here. Getting up early to do homework so that I would be able to come and leave at least some books at home. Then once I got here it's as if we needed to "ski, ski, ski, hot tub, eat out, ski, ski, ski". There is somehow hidden in vacation an intense desire to cram everything "fun" into as few hours as possible and get the most bang for your buck. Today, however, that plan did not work out too well for me. I feel like crap. I woke up with a sore throat and a runny nose and told myself that I was not going to get sick. I was not. That lasted until lunch when I sat down from skiing, let down, and totally fell apart. So here I am, on the couch in the lodge by a huge stone fireplace with sunshine and a diet Pepsi and it hits me - stand still! Look what I was missing out on as I hurried past. Stop being in constant motion, if even for just a few short hours and let down. Truly let down. Be willing to let go of the constant, harried pace that seems to have even invaded my vacation time, and relax. It feels good. Really good. I can't say that I haven't enjoyed everything that I have packed into the weekend or all of the work that I did before I left, but, even if it takes getting sick for me to slow down, it feels good just to be still.

2 comments:

Jessica Lynn Perkins said...

I think those things that we consider 'bad' sometimes happen just to remind us what life is really about, and help us to see the bigger picture. I love that!

Abby said...

I'm glad that you got a chance to have some fun AND 'slow down' too. You deserve it, homes. :)

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