Scott has a speaking engagement in New York tonight, so I tagged along to enjoy the fringe benies of his travel. As always, it was a bit nutty getting everything squared away on the home front, make it to the airport in rush hour traffic in time to check the bags and stand in an enormous (& notoriously slow) security line to get to the gate. By the time we got our halfway naked selves through security and gathered all our scattered belongings, we noticed the two big signs above the benches just ahead:
“Repack and Redress Here”
We had a good laugh about the fact that we’ve become so accustomed to the strip down shenanigans of the airport security checkpoint that we welcome a sign to tell us where to go to gather personal items and put clothes back on. It was a much-needed comedic break from the stress of the previous couple of hours.
We quickly redressed and went on our way.
We stopped at a kiosk to grab some yummy pre-packaged food so we could rush to make it to our gate by boarding time. I grabbed some funky looking Cobb salad with brownish green avocados on top. As I reached for a bottle of water, a red label caught my eye, enticing me to share an ice cold coke with Scott.
So, of course, I did.
Thanks to the genius marketing of the Coca-Cola Company, I sat at the gate (for over an hour) enjoying my coke, and my shriveled salad, with Scott. Even though the flight was unexpectedly delayed, the wait turned out to be enjoyable. It gave me time to stop, rest and breathe after what had been a rather frantic couple of hours. It provided space to connect with Scott on more than just a “Let’s get this thing done” type of level. By the time we boarded the flight, I was well on my way to transforming into Vacation Crystal. That’s the Crystal who knows how to enjoy a Coke with Scott, if you know what I mean.
It got me thinking, about the way we rush through our lives.
What if we found ways to intentionally build in the pauses? What if we gave ourselves more margin? What if we planned time to enjoy a Coke with a friend on a consistent basis, instead of waiting for the red label catch our eye? We’d find more “Vacation Crystals”.
There’d be more Vacation You too.
And I’m guessing that’d be a really good thing.
- What are some of the ways you build pauses into your life?
- How do you give yourself more margin in your hectic life?
- When do you find works best to consistently show up with friends?
Think about it and then share with the rest of us in the comments.
Our bodies were built for the ebb and flow. Not the constant running in high gear. Rest and relaxation in some form is imperative for us to enjoy and model our best lives.
Sometimes we need tips, tricks and reminders from our tribe to point us in the right direction.
Be a tribe today, share yours.
What are your secrets to building in a pause?
to more love,
Crystal
P.S. Of course, one great way to build in a pause is to sign up to be a member of the HeartStories GNO. We provide a monthly don-for-you pause, to reconnect with your girlfriends and yourself. If that sounds like something you could use, check it out.
