055 | Pine Lake
I’m at one of my favorite places for a 24-hour impromptu getaway with just me. We have a saying that there is no such thing as a bad day at Pine Lake. Today proves the truth of that. It’s late winter and it’s been pouring rain so everything is muddy and there’s a thick gray fog. (The other photo is a more typical non-winter view from this vantage point.) The fog outside doesn’t bother me though because I’m here to deal with the fog and swirl in my brain.
I often come here when I’m seeking clarity. Maybe it’s the fresh air, maybe it’s the (usually) expansive view, maybe it’s that this has been a place of play and recreation for my family for nearly 50 years that it has become a place where I can breathe deeply again, a place of recentering and re-creation away from the hubbub and demands of daily life at home.
Mental load takes different shapes in different seasons. In all seasons, it’s helpful to know how to get to your “Pine Lake.” Your Pine Lake may be an actual place where you can get away from it all. Or it may be a state of mind. In the days before the pandemic, 75 minutes by myself at a coffee shop with my headphones on and no one making demands on me could be like a little Pine Lake time—time to breathe deeply, get my bearings, slow the swirl in my brain and allow myself to just be for a bit.
If you are in a season when the load (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) feels extra heavy, here are some questions to help you find your way to a little Pine Lake time. Ask yourself:
No filter, gut response: What do I REALLY need right now?
Do I crave time alone or with others?
Would it be helpful to get away? If so, for how long? Where might I go?
How urgent is my need to have a little time to regroup?
How much time would I like? How much time can I carve out today? In the near future? If I plan out a little?
What would feed my soul? Rest, play, talk, silence, movement, stillness, art, prayer, adventure...?
What anxiety arises in me when I consider taking even a short break?
Who can support me in this/help me figure out how to make it happen?
What would be my ideal? What would be good enough?
