I’d like to share a little poem that I came across on the internet by Clyde Watson:
NOVEMBER COMES AND NOVEMBER GOES,
WITH THE LAST RED BERRIES AND THE FIRST WHITE SNOWS.
WITH THE NIGHT COMING EARLY, AND THE DAWN COMING LATE,
AND ICE IN THE BUCKET AND FROST ON THE GATE.
THE FIRES BURN AND THE KETTLES SING,
AND THE EARTH SINKS TO REST UNTIL SPRING.
Most people around this time of the year are watching either high school sports or professional sports and know that the teams use a “time out” to stop the game for a while and to consult with the coach regarding the next play or to just take a moment for the players to catch their breath.
It seems to me that I am taking more and more time outs as I get older. The other morning was so dark and dreary that I arose from my bed, had a cup of coffee, declared a time out, and went back to bed as I just wasn’t ready for the new day to begin! Working folks don’t have the luxury of calling a “time out” when they don’t feel like going to work, but since I am retired, I can call a time out whenever I want!
All people need time outs. There are no rules as to how many you can take or when you can take them. But as I look back over my working days, clearly I should have taken more time outs! My father, who was a farmer, took time outs even though he worked from before sun up to sun down seven days of the week. After lunch around noon, he would take a twenty minute nap. And on Sunday after church and lunch, he and my mother would either go to visit relatives or friends or rest during the afternoon before it was time to milk the cows on Sunday evening. Most jobs today control the people who work them and it’s difficult to take a time out when you need one. But I argue that taking a time out is essential for your own health and well-being. And taking two weeks of vacation once a year just doesn’t cut it!
We had a wonderful time at Jeanette’s granddaughter’s wedding in Venetia, Pa. but Susan, mother of the bride, had planned a little time out for herself the next day after the wedding. On Sunday afternoon, we took time out to enjoy the Peters Township Lake Park near their home. The sun was out and it was a beautiful fall day. The walk around the lake was perhaps about a mile and it took our minds away from all of the festivities of the past few days and gave our bodies a little chance to burn up some of the calories that we had consumed during the wedding reception.
So be a little creative and take some personal time for your “time out”. And to help you in this matter, I declare November a “Time Out” month! No limit.