It’s been a long winter. The rain unrelentingly marked the last few months here in East Tennessee. Fear and uncertainty in some ways has felt like that rain, a slow trickle in our conversations and mental space. I think in some ways we have ALL been holding a special place in our hearts for a spring break without maybe realizing it. Whether or not you are taking an actual vacation this spring, I think we all get a little giddy when we think of a “spring break”. I personally think of sun, warm weather, beautiful flowers and freedom - a whole week as a kid when my mom would pack us up and take us to the beach to visit relatives. I could smell the marsh along the highway as we approached the Carolina coast. That wonderful mixture of cool nights in sweatshirts and windy days on the beach where we would force ourselves to wear swimsuits just because we COULD. A week to reconnect as a family and snuggle our loving grandparents. It was GLORIOUS. Now as an adult with school-aged kids, our spring break looks a bit different but Im hoping this year my intention is the same. To welcome a break from the slow and somewhat disheartening drip, drip, drip of winter and hold my hands open to something new.
Are you able to take a spring break? Perhaps a true vacation is not possible, or you anticipate the one you are taking to be not so restful! Maybe the plans you have been excitedly preparing for have been cancelled for reasons outside your control. (Or maybe we will all be taking a hiatus of one or another soon enough??) Could we see this as a spring break? A short break from that ceaseless drip of worry and restlessness?
We are encouraging you to set an intention for a moment this spring: an hour, a day, even a whole week. To live with open hands to a new season. This will of course look different for each person, but in hopes of helping you to have an intentional and full spring break, we want to offer some of our favorite things:
Write without pausing.
Make the Most of Alone Time
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way
Experience the Morning Pages. In her incredible book, The Artists Way, Julia Cameron encourages blocked artists to write 3 pages every morning - whatever comes to their minds, without pausing, and then to throw it away when finished!
Go for a walk in a beautiful place! We have an abundance of gorgeous trails and greenways around our city within minutes of driving. A few favorite places to walk are Forks of the River, Lakeshore Park, and the greenway in Bearden (park in the Ace Hardwear parking lot aka RIP Earth Fare).
Make the Most of Family Time
Wear yourselves OUT and play hard if you are able. Go on a fun bike ride with a sibling or friend, have a (safe) wrestling match with your kids, or build an obstacle course in your back yard.
Make a meal together….and stretch it out! Do the whole process together, from planning to the grocery store to cooking and then cleaning. What a super special way to spend time together! If you take off the pressure of time and perfection, you may even end up loving cooking for a family again.
Clean before you leave.
Make the Most of Travel Time
Clean your car and your home BEFORE you leave. I know, it may seem like a ridiculous thing to do. It sounds a bit like showering before you workout. But listen. Starting a road trip with a clean and organized car will set the tone for your journey. If possible, prep seats and foot spaces roomy and uncluttered so you don’t lose your ever loving mind on that 12 hour drive to Grandmas. And tidying (maybe it doesn’t have to be clean, clean) your home with things in their usual place will be a JOY to walk into after a long week away. This one tip is a total game changer for travel.
Pack your bags with organizer cubes like these. You can sort your things into different bags by category and get to just what you need without pulling every item in your bag out!
Whether you have an eventful spring break planned, or you’re staying close to home, we hope you’ll make space for REST and JOY and PLAY in the near future as you are transitioning out of this winter season.
