Relaxing

I have one major thought as we head into the weekend:

How do you relax? (How often? What do you do? Why?)

I ask because as I look over my life these past 4 decades, I realize I'm a person who has a difficult time relaxing. I always want to be doing something; I have this sense that I'm missing out if I am "relaxing." (Or that I'm being lazy.)

And this really has been a "thing" my whole life. 

I think back to when I was a kid, there were times I slept on top of my bed so as not to mess it up sleeping/wasting time. I never--never--sleep in. I have a hard time sitting down for a movie. And my parents and Dave will attest to this: I never like to take my shoes off. Ever. Like even if I fall asleep mid-TV show, I can't stand it if someone tries to make me more comfortable by taking off my shoes. Oh, and when I played Survivor (both times) I found it nearly impossible to relax. Granted, there's a million dollars on the line there, but I was living on a tropical island for 28-39 days each time, and I found it very difficult to sit still. I think if the camera people were to do a time-release montage of just me, you'd see me pacing, standing, and crossing over people sleeping, talking, sitting, etc. non-stop. It would be like, "Oh, there's Dawn in the frame. And there Dawn goes out of the frame." (It's probably the most difficult part of the game for me: the lack of "things to do.")

Isn't that hilarious?

Probably not.

I've learned enough about staying healthy to know that relaxation is a necessary part of our lives.

So ... I'm trying to change this little by little.

One way is by doing a 5-minute guided meditation every day.

I know 5 minutes sounds ridonkulous, but it's a good start for me. (And we're having the kids do it for 30 days and charting how the feel as a result. They are 4 days in and seem to like it.)

Anyway, that's what's on my mind today.

Have a great weekend. 8)