Playing Hooky

Maybe you–like me–feel that 2018 hasn’t quite gone as planned. Maybe you–like me–are tempted to hustle and plow through and Make. It. Happen. No. Matter. What.

Or not.

As a lifelong dyed-in-the-wool, list-making, over-achieving perfectionist I have finally come to the conclusion that hustle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes muscle and hustle just turn to frazzle and slump.

After my month of sickness followed by an extra long weekend of hectic event staffing, I returned home wheezing and exhausted. Another doctor appointment. A change of asthma meds. Three fatigue-filled days of napping on the couch and accomplishing pretty much nothing.

Oh, I get it. February is not going according to my well-laid plans either.

My to-do list was quite impressively long today. Then my sister called to invite me to go to the zoo with her and my nephew and our parents.

I was tempted. But…the to-do list…

Here’s where goal setting, priority making, and intentional living become important.

I looked at my list. I looked at my goals for 2018. My goals include cultivating health, spending more time with family, and building relationships. 

Which perfectly dove-tailed with a trip to the zoo. (Keep reading until the very end! I have the sweetest zoo photo ever.)

Time spent making memories with family and building relationships is always time well spent. Always.

Daddy has such long arms that he almost matches the seven foot wingspan of the female Eagle! Who wouldn’t want to spend the afternoon comparing their arm span to that of an eagle? If I’d stayed home with my to-do list, I would have missed out on this fun memory!

And here I’m demonstrating that I inherited Daddy’s long arms. Pretty impressive “wingspan” for someone who’s only 5′ 5 1/2″!

Even in the dry, brown Oklahoma winter there’s still beauty to be found at the Zoo gardens!

When it comes down to it, life is about relationships. It’s so easy to get too busy to nurture those important relationships, isn’t it? That’s why we have to stop and intentionally choose how to spend our time.

The Swift Fox is native to Oklahoma. We observed these cuties in the Oklahoma Trails section of the zoo, a favorite of mine. I love to see the native animals!

I’m glad there’s a fence between the two of us. He looks like he’s in a bad mood.

Look how cute! “You are going to feed me, right? How can you say no to me?”

Now for my favorite sight of the entire visit…

Ohhhhh! Look closely! See Momma Gorilla cradling her six-week old baby? Isn’t that the sweetest thing? We stood and watched her for the longest time. She would take her huge hand and gently caress baby’s head. We also saw four young tigers, which was fun, but nothing compared to watching this duo.

About that To-Do List…

No. It didn’t get accomplished. However, I feel refreshed and energized and ready to tackle some tasks tomorrow. Do you think I made the right choice? I was physically refreshed by a nice gentle walk and abundant sunshine, made sweet memories with my sister, parents, and nephew (isn’t he cute?), and intellectually stimulated by learning about the animals. And I guarantee I’ll never forget that ape with her newborn baby.

The Refreshment Challenge

So, I wonder if you could use a break today? A walk in the park? A cup of tea with a friend? A game with your kids tonight? I’d like to encourage you to think of a refreshing treat that would nurture you and go do it this weekend! What will you do? Please share! And then after you give yourself the treat, come back and share how it enriched your life. Do you regret taking the time? Was your to-do list more important?

Mine wasn’t.

Recommended Resources

The Problem with Making Productivity Your Priority