Take a minute off

My life has been crazy lately. You know how it is. Everything is going along smoothly and then one day it just all gets crazy, out of control, over the edge. Illness in the family, changes in work, demands from others which you have to respond to immediately, just, well, things; life things, “living through the days” things. All of a sudden it seems like there is no time for yourself – everything you do seems to be dictated by someone else’s needs. Well, that’s where I’m at these days. Right in the middle of it.

Except for a short moment this morning. Early morning, I must confess, before people think I might be awake and start calling. Just after the sun came up. I went out back with a cup of fresh brewed coffee, listened to the sounds of the world waking up and for a few minutes, just a few, escaped the demands of my daily life. And it got me to thinking.

How do we help the people we work with “escape” for even just a few minutes from the demands of their daily life. So that they can find even just a few minutes which are stress and demand free. So they can just “be with themselves” for a few minutes. Be relaxed, be at peace. And here are some thoughts that came to mind.

teach a child to watch the river run.
watch a bird with an adolescent, or watch the bird watching you.
teach children and young people to lie on their backs and make creatures out of the clouds.
tell a staff to go sit under a tree for a few minutes.
during the team meeting, tell the staff to go for a short walk by themselves.
pick and eat a fresh vegetable – wash it first.
go for a run, a walk, a stroll, a crawl, a roll.
dig your fingers in the garden soil, pluck the flower.
sit with a youth and see if you can hear the voices in the wind.
get in to the rhythm of playing gentle catch.
listen to the world wake up.

There are a million ways we can take a short break. They need not be complicated. Basically it just involves stopping for a minute. The point here is not how we could do it, but that we should. Our lives, and those of the youth and families which whom we work, are filled and busy. Sometimes, just taking a break for a few minutes, helps us to find a moment when we can be relaxed, or peaceful.

And you will find it amazing how long a minute can last.

So, take a break.

Thom