©IBKimage2013

A friend’s husband suddenly dying, adult children grieving; a funeral; another  passing a “swallowing test” two months post “brain surgery”enabling a  drink of water and a taste of food for the first time in 2 months; an adult son’s 29th birthday and visit for 3 precious days; reuniting as a family around a table to share a meal and our lives; papers delivered and entrusted to our accountant to prepare our tax return; meeting together with new people for breakfast at my favorite “restaurant office” graced by familiar servers who know my food habits; attempting to help my almost blind husband answer the phone he relies on after a security update “messed things up”; (and not in a patient way I might add); saying some hard things and setting boundaries; sitting in a parking lot and forgetting how to get back onto NORTH I- 25 in rush hour after going SOUTH;   all of this and more in 8 days.

I share this  not to make my life stand out as unique, or more accomplished than yours in any way, but as a way of documenting the blessings and challenges of being human.  When we’ve talked to too many people or managed too many projects or spent too much time trying to communicate clearly in too many venues; or tried to please too many people; or neglected our sleep too long or managed to eat too much to comfort too many realities; or done too many good things … then we must stop and intentionally put ourselves in “time-out”for the sake of our own physical, spiritual, and emotional health.  We can not be empty vessels and expect to overflow.

The place in today’s image is at the Denver Botanic Garden where I plan to “be” in my time-out tomorrow … you have your places. Wherever we go let’s be open to not doing anything but being.

IBK