http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/rachel-macy-stafford\/the-day-i-stopped-saying-hurry-up_b_3624798.html<\/a>)<\/p>\nMy life is not usually very stressful \u2013 especially compared to that of a single mother, or someone holding down two jobs, or a soldier fighting in a war, or someone who is ill with no financial resources.\u00a0 <\/span>I can think of thousands of people who have more stressful lives than me.\u00a0 <\/span>But even I, a consciously self-employed person living in a small, unhurried town, can get caught up in worrying about getting things done \u2013 especially when I\u2019m working on several projects at once and don\u2019t have a lot of income coming in.\u00a0 <\/span>After several days in \u201chyper mode,\u201d I eventually remembered that one of the reasons I choose to be self-employed is so that I can have control over my own schedule.\u00a0 <\/span>I believe with all my heart that life is meant to be lived, and that we are simply not meant to be working \u201cmachines.\u201d<\/p>\nToday was one of those days I realized I couldn\u2019t do it all, and so I made a choice to go the more civilized route.\u00a0 <\/span>Rather than squeeze in a couple hours doing a side-job, I decided to accept an invitation to do something with two of my friends – because friends are important and one of them was going to be away for two weeks.\u00a0 <\/span>Rather than sit at my computer responding to emails, sending out submission forms, and writing articles, I would give myself permission to sit on the patio for half an hour, get caught up on the dishes, pick some raspberries, water the plants, and play with the dogs.\u00a0 <\/span>I hadn\u2019t realized I had been feeling anxious until I realized I was feeling relaxed.\u00a0 <\/span>What a gift to simply allow myself to change my routine for a day and enjoy \u201cthe little things.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.plowcreek.org\/farm\/rrasp5-9-17-02.jpg\")
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I think sometimes we allow ourselves to feel trapped \u2013 by our job, our circumstances, others\u2019 expectations.\u00a0 <\/span>But we can choose to be plucky and courageous.\u00a0 <\/span>We can choose to say no to a boss who expects us to work more than forty hours.\u00a0 <\/span>We can choose to say no to a spouse who expects us to make dinner every night.\u00a0 <\/span>We can choose to say no to a social invitation we don\u2019t have the energy for.\u00a0 <\/span>And we can choose to say yes to life.\u00a0 <\/span>We can say yes to a day off.\u00a0 <\/span>We can say yes to a walk in the park.\u00a0 <\/span>We can say yes to a class or course or workshop which feeds our soul.\u00a0 <\/span>We can say yes to playing with our children or dogs or going away for a weekend with our beloved.<\/p>\nIt is never too late to make changes \u2013 on either a micro level or a grand scale.\u00a0 <\/span>Simply ask yourself the following two questions:\u00a0 <\/span>What do I want less of?\u00a0 <\/span>(Work I don\u2019t enjoy, responsibilities I don\u2019t want, rushing around\u2026.)\u00a0 <\/span>And what do I want more of?\u00a0 <\/span>(Following my passion, spending time with my family and friends, relaxation\u2026.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nYou deserve to have the life you want!\u00a0 <\/span>No one else truly knows what is best for you.\u00a0 <\/span>Only you can know what your spirit, body, and mind need.\u00a0 <\/span>Listen.\u00a0 <\/span>And then take action.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s time to create the life you want!\u00a0 <\/span>Let yourself enjoy the simple pleasures.<\/p>\nBlessed be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/www.photographyblogger.net\/playing-fetch-18-fun-dog-pictures\/ Some days it\u2019s hard not to get sucked into the vortex of things to do, places to be, deadlines to meet, errands to run.\u00a0 It\u2019s a busy world we live in and sometimes it takes great determination to resist that pull to achieve, accomplish, complete, arrive, get done.\u00a0 I read a beautiful blog today…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,3,48,262,260,192,261,155,181,259,258,183,180],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-balance","category-blessings","category-busyness","category-changing-routine","category-creating-the-life-you-want","category-gift","category-hurry-up","category-play","category-rat-race","category-self-employed","category-simple-pleasures","category-slow-down","category-slower-pace"],"yoast_head":"\n
Enjoying the Little Things - Blessings Abound<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Enjoying the Little Things - Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"http:\/\/www.photographyblogger.net\/playing-fetch-18-fun-dog-pictures\/ Some days it\u2019s hard not to get sucked into the vortex of things to do, places to be, deadlines to meet, errands to run.\u00a0 It\u2019s a busy world we live in and sometimes it takes great determination to resist that pull to achieve, accomplish, complete, arrive, get done.\u00a0 I read a beautiful blog today…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/08\/enjoying-the-little-things.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-08-09T23:26:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-08-09T23:27:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.photographyblogger.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Fetching14.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cgreb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Enjoying the Little Things - 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![\"Rufus](\"https:\/\/www.photographyblogger.net\/2010\/02\/Fetching14.jpeg\" "\\"Rufus")
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