Relax!

Well, this is a first. I'm going to attempt posting from my phone. I'm in Denver for the week and by the time I get home, New Year's will be old news.

Last night I attended my first ever yoga session. It went pretty well. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the beautiful space it was held in, the dim lighting, the calming voice of the instructor, the music, and most of all that I didn't make a fool of myself while doing basic stretch poses. Read: I didn't fart!

I've been thinking about my 'word' for 2020 and it was so obvious to me about a month ago that I started practicing it by declaring Sundays as a day of rest. Yeah, I know, it's not a new idea.

                           R•E•L•A•X

Many reading this may not have trouble relaxing but it has been an ongoing challenge for me. I wasted time in my earlier years. An astronomical amount of time. Relaxing has not been a word in my vocabulary all that long. When I finally woke up (circa 2001) to the reality of where my life choices had taken me, I was set on a path to start really living vs. being a feather in the wind. There was no time to waste.

I'm just now learning that relaxing is not wasted time. Being a self-admitted slow learner, I'm here to say it is my mission this year to slow my roll and relax a bit.

    . . . . .

We moved to Arizona in October. We have neighbors on both sides of us. My 87 year old aunt to the right, and a sweet older couple from Montana on the left. I have recently become a student of growing older and these people are teachers to me, and they don't even know it.

Aunt G starts her days early, often going to exercise class, then she sometimes drives seniors to doctor appointments or to the store for groceries. She squeezes in some golf dates, and in between she tends a few flowers and enjoys sitting outside (weather permitting) at 4pm daily. She seems to always be in motion but it seems to be at a relaxed pace.

I often spot my Montana neighbor sitting in his easy chair while reading a book. I've taken note that he sits for hours reading what must be riveting words. I marvel at his tenacity in holding down that chair. I want whatever he has for chair glue. I sit down to read and I am distracted in 100 ways. Can you relate to this?

I've given a lot of thought to ways I can practice relaxing. Writing, reading, walking, cooking, a little cleaning, napping, phone calls to loved ones. Rinse & repeat.

The main thing is I need to not fill my calendar with too many things. And, I need to quit thinking of "relax" as a dirty word. Ya know? I have some extremely deep seated ideas that have been hard to overcome. No blame here, just the facts.

What about you? Do you have a word for 2020? Tell me!

love, susan