It has been an emotional week here at Carpet Colour Centre, ups and downs and tons of prayers going up for a co-worker who is facing an illness.
It has taught us to bind together and to really appreciate the good things in life and how to take time for each other.
Sometimes it takes a cataclysmic event to stop us dead in our tracks and help us realize what is important in life. The pace of life keeps us spinning and doesn’t let us touchdown to ‘stop and smell the roses’ and it can have a devastating effect on our health.
It is important to take time in our days to honor and lift up the people in our lives we love – or possibly a stranger. My favorite lady in my morning coffee drive-through told me last week that she was heading for surgery and it gave me an opportunity to stop and say ‘Hey I’m going to miss you, take care of yourself and God bless’.
I stopped for a few minutes, despite the anxious people behind me in line and looked at her as a person in need and when I saw the tears in her eyes I knew it had made a difference in her day.
What will it take for you to stay home for an evening?
To sit and enjoy your space with your family and friends? We put so much effort into our homes and yet it seems we use them far less. I know of a lady who has the most stunning kitchen I have ever seen and she NEVER cooks…seriously, never.
I would be having dinner parties every night in a kitchen like that! What would it take for her to slow down and use her home to bless others? I might invite myself over and give her a cooking lesson and as a result get time with her and a free meal – what a plan!
I think many of us feel that if we aren’t busy we are failing or falling behind. Often people compare how busy or how stressed they are, it’s almost like a competition or a badge of honour for us to compare our lives and hectic schedules.
Why do we need to do this? Where is the valor in being busy and pushed to our limits? Instead, can we be proud to say – I spent the day in my pj’s and ate popcorn and read my favorite book; is this acceptable?
Could we look at a co-worker and admit to not having done yoga/pilates/cardio/housecleaning/organic meals and still feel proud of ourselves?
I used to lie to my mom when she would call if I was taking a nap, she would ask what I was doing and I’d make up some domestically approved activity. I think we are trained as young women to constantly be working and improving and nurturing others, when we also need to spend time on ourselves.
This week, attempt to carve out a few minutes for yourself – even if it is a simple cup of tea and an article out of a celebrity gossip magazine. Buy your best friend a colourful scarf and leave a surprise package on her windshield while she is at work – it will make her day! Whether we take a little time for ourselves or use a few minutes to bless someone I promise it will give you a lift and put a smile on your face.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.
