0
items
$0
Take that Break. - How I finally took mine...
In 3 days, it will be 2 years since I was able fulfill my role as a Teaching Artist in the classroom with 3rd graders in Long Beach, CA. Gratefully, I was able to pivot and keep my job with the Arts Council for Long Beach. So many were not as fortunate. Many of us lost more than our livelihood, we lost those we love.
I was fortunate to have both time and money at the same time to go a great distance. When I don’t, I take my breaks walking in a different neighborhood, visiting a familiar place at dawn or sunset, streaming a movie or silly tv show (#TedLasso omg!), or indulging in a long conversation with a dear friend over the phone.
One of my mentors Elizabeth Preston, tells me that the whole world is now experiencing Complex PTSD. Our routines have been shattered, our resilience stretched thin, our grief compounded by being distanced from those who could support us.
Now that the Omicron variant has subsided in Los Angeles, I thought it might be safe to take a little trip. Still, the pressures of expanding my own business, and serving 3 Clients, caring for an elderly Mom with Alzheimers made it feel impossible.
With the encouragement from friends, and spending time in my CJEA practice scribbling out the frustrations, worries, fears, and stress, I booked a flight to Colorado, then New Mexico. I’ve always benefited from staring out into big views. Beauty. Nature. Embracing the ease of my own thoughts instead of city billboards. Breathing full deep breaths as the snow fell over the red earth.
Take that Break. Take 5 minutes. Take an afternoon. Take a day off. Take a weekend away. However you can treat yourself, do so. Your inner child will thank you. Your loved ones will too. And, lemme know how it goes…:)