A Mini Moment.....
I think we can all agree that the pace that we move at today can at times be overwhelming! Up at 5am, out the door by six, first conference call at 7:30am, meeting, another meeting, emails, phone calls, trying to leave work on time, go to the gym, get groceries, make dinner, do laundry, clean the house, climb into bed at 10:30pm....and repeat the next day.
I will admit, there are some days where I feel like I can't catch my breath, let alone take a few minutes for myself. I know how unhealthy that is and the irony of this is that I've spent most of my career helping others take care of themselves (insert here: do as I say, not as I do). I then refer back to one of my old blog posts about when on a flight, if something should occur, to put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others. We MUST care for ourselves first and foremost....
As I was driving to the office the other morning with a dozen different thoughts running through my mind about the day ahead, the sunrise was absolutely beautiful!! So...I decided to pull over into a park, get out of my car with my coffee in hand, turn off those thoughts and just sit and truly enjoy that sunrise for a few minutes. That 'mini moment' not only got my day off to a great start, but refreshed my way of thinking about taking care of oneself.....
Let me explain.....
This guy is the master of taking a 'mini moment'! He had been out sniffing every square foot of the backyard as I was bqqing one night. Then...all of a sudden, he went up on the deck and just laid there, looking around and taking it all in. There...that was his mini moment. He went from 'full steam ahead' to utter peace and tranquility in a matter of a minute.
Now, how can we do this? How can we take that moment to recoup our sanity, refocus and allow us those few moments to breathe?
I walked into the barn one evening after a great session with the Big Guy. My time with him is supposed to be my escape, a time for me to focus on nothing but building my relationship with this amazing 1000lb creature. But....for some reason, I found myself distracted that night. I was actually angry with myself that I had allowed outside distractions to seep into our time together. As I walked down the aisle, the horses poked their heads out of their stalls and I just had to snap this photo....I had distracted them from their dinner and I'm sure every single one of them hoped I had a wee treat to share with them (a mini moment for them). I then realized, I had spent an incredible hour with LTN and it had been full of fantastic mini moments and I should be grateful for that! Yes, at times, some outside thoughts and distractions creeped in...but...I'm human...that will happen.... and what mattered most was that time with him, those moments of pure contentedness and tranquility like the one below....
I can assure you that at the moment I snapped this photo, I was only thinking what a beautiful evening it was, how gorgeous my guy looked as the sun set behind him and how grateful I was to be in that moment....and that's enough. I'm sure that in the 5 minutes of him munching grass, I had many other 'outside' thoughts enter my mind, but at this moment, my only thought was pure enjoyment of the moment. My mini moment....
Whatever you're doing...find those mini moments just for you. Enjoy them, immerse yourself in them (if only for a minute), allow them to re-energize you...and.... if you're like me and have a passion for photography, capture a few of them so you 'have them' as a reminder to take that time for you.
RR
