taking time to smell the roses (or, in my case, gardenias)

they say the first step is admitting it so here it goes. i'm a 100% certifiable type a personality. my father was the same way only more intense, so being his mini me i'm fairly certain it's just part of my d.n.a.. i'm not proud of it nor am i ashamed of it but i've been told more than a few times that i need to slow down. this is no easy feat for me. unless i'm at the beach, which is basically the only place i can turn off, it's really hard for me to relax because i feel guilty when there's so much more i could be getting done. that being said, i'll go for my morning coffee run and be amazed by the people who are there leisurely sipping their morning brew, reading the paper or chatting with a friend and feel the slightest tinge of jealousy. maybe envy would be a better fit. so after years and countless well-meaning people telling me to take a breath to no avail it took my doctor, and high blood pressure, to set me straight. now this will not happen overnight but i'm taking baby steps and it feels really, really good!

taking heed and doctor's orders this past sunday i did the unimaginable! my day went something like this. i woke up and lay around in bed for a bit. craziness! my husband and i walked our three dogs to our favorite coffee spot and actually sat down to sip. i went to a yoga class followed by... an hour long reflexology session! what??? more laying around watching my favorite sport, football. this amazing and relaxing day ended in a beautiful dinner al fresco with friends. i'm pretty proud of myself, i did not clean, organize or work whatsoever. i know, i said this was going to be tough and i can't believe i'm saying this but i think i could get used to this. heaven forbid, i'm thinking of maybe even stealing a saturday once and a while.

for those other type a personalities out there, give it a shot. it's pretty astonishing how good you feel the rest of the week. for those of you who are not, the rest of us have a lot to learn from you!

xo
gaye

p.s. to ease my racing mind i brought my own pillow and my kai body butter for my reflexologist to use. it worked!