Confession…every time I pause to take a break and go outside, to walk in nature, I experience guilt.
This photo was taken last week, after an impromptu canyon hike where I stopped work early at 4:00pm and went for a Sunset stroll. Look at the delight on my face!
So why this guilt? It’s from more than a decade of working 60 hours a week in stressful conditions that rewarded me for not taking a break. The past two years I’ve been relearning what matters and re-wiring my neural pathways.
Being at ease matters. Smiling and laughing matters. Being outdoors in nature feeling the sun on my face and moving my body and marveling at beauty matters.
And so I keep doing these things that matter. And some day that guilt will be extinguished.
I feel angry about the overwork culture that contributed to that guilt. I feel a purpose rising in me – here is my pledge – to help my fellow humans take back their humanity. We are human, people.
Where do you need to give yourself permission to simply be human? Please give yourself permission to breathe and just BE today.
