Even though I am a single woman that does not have children, anyone who knows me knows how full my schedule is.  I’m not content unless every square on my calendar has a highlighted task or appointment.  More often than not I’m asked “What do you have going on tonight?” instead of “Are you doing anything tonight?”  I have always had a very hard time sitting still.  In order to be able to watch TV, I have to be multitasking and doing something else.  So, I wanted to challenge myself to learn how to relax as part of my “50 Before 50” list of goals.  I wanted to learn how to take time out every week to quiet my mind and soul from my normal busyness, and – more importantly – also learn how to enjoy doing so.

I ran my first half marathon two years ago.  Because it was the first one I had ever attempted, it was important goal for me to run the entire race without slowing down to walk.  I wanted to prove I could run 13.1 miles straight.  I did, but my pace was slower than what I had anticipated.  My 10^th and 11^thmiles were my fastest.  I could feel myself holding back in the beginning of the race, not sure if I would have enough strength to finish.  Once I started to get closer to the end, I knew I could do it and kicked it up a notch.

Since that race I now do more interval running.  I will do a short warm up walk, and then I’ll switch back and forth between running and walking.  Oddly enough – my pace improved.  I wasn’t afraid to work harder when I knew I had a short rest coming up.  I think I lived my life in a very similar way.  I was always concentrating on the next task, the next project, or the next appointment.  I was never allowing myself to rest, and – what was probably even more debilitating – I knew that I had no rest to look forward to.

I’ve started to incorporate short periods of rest into my daily schedule – even if it’s sitting in silence for five minutes before I leave the house in the morning.  Knowing that I have a rest – or a “Sabbath” – to look forward to has been a game changer for me.  Over the past month I feel I have lived a more purposeful life than I have in the past three years.  I underestimated the positive effects that rest time would have on the rest of my day.

I know I have the luxury of having a very flexible schedule, so it truly is easier for me to find “Sabbath” moments in my day.  I promise you that once you start scheduling a moment here and there, it is going to become easier for you to plan and find more moments.  You’ll find yourself becoming more efficient in other areas of your life, and it will become easier to find those moments that give you strength.

“The Lord said to her in reply, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is only need of one thing.’” – Luke 11:41

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28