To Know Yourself

  When I saw the looks of my Starbucks cup and flip flops sitting there in the sand, I had to laugh because I felt like they looked.  Why do we wait until we feel completely beaten up and exhausted before we stop to take a breath?

The truth is, I don't do a very good job taking care of myself.  I'm far too serious.  I don't enjoy the things around me as much as I should and I don't slow down often enough to truly relax.  Some day I'll tell you about the 10 nights I spent in paradise and how I ruined a good majority of them for myself because I don't know how to enjoy myself.

When work and life get to be too much, I endure, and I press on.  I let things get to be so overwhelming that all that's left to do is meltdown.  

I know that you have to consciously chose to take time out to take care of yourself, but knowing it and doing it are two totally different things, which is why number 2 on my list of 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days is so important.  

You'd think someone who lived 15 minutes from countless beautiful beaches would be there all the time, but in reality, the 15 minutes might as well be 15 hours.  My hope is that when this year of beach trips is over that taking a morning out for myself will be a habit and something I enjoy doing, not something I have to force myself into.

Yesterday I took my first step.  I set the alarm for 6:00a.m. and I went up the road to the Torrey Pines State Beach where I walked the coastline for two hours.  Just me and the birds.

Kinda deep for a Monday I know, but such is life.  Have a great week!