Find What Refreshes Your Soul and Do That…
I just returned from a refreshing sabbatical season. So often we think of sabbaticals as “time off work.” While it does require that we strategically disengage from our usual work, it is so much more than time off from work. We live in such a fast-paced society that is fraught with calamity, natural disasters, political ideologies, religious wars, economic and social upheaval. These and other life stressors give little to no room for us to disconnect and engage in activities that refresh our souls.
While I have been very intentional about self-care my soul was also parched from caregiving, parenting, pastoring, leading, preaching, teaching, organizing, and visioning. Therefore, this sabbatical was a protracted season of time dedicated to rest, reflection, prayer, discerning, healing, writing and travel.
Sabbaticals give us time and space to stop, sit with ourselves, discover, and recover lost passion, purpose, relationships, vocation, and joy. Sabbaticals invite us into a season where we can reflect on our experiences, grieve our losses, celebrate our accomplishments, rekindle our love, abandon our rigid schedules, take long walks, ignore emails, turn off our phones, read good books, watch great movies, travel, go on an adventure, eat good food, enjoy family, hang out with friends, play in our garden, sit on our decks, sleep in and enjoy naps in the middle of the day.
When I entered my sabbatical, it was in the middle of the summer. As I return, we are entering into the fall season. As the seasons change naturally, seasons change in our lives. Therefore, I encourage to you take time to discern what this season of life is about for you. Be intentional to disconnect from your usual work to discover and recover lost dreams, spend quality time with family, connect with new friends and reconnect with old friends.
In all that you do in this fall season, don’t forget to love passionately, laugh heartily, slow down, enjoy the journey, find what refreshes your soul and do that…
Dr. Toni