Taking Time to Stop to be ME

Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget to simply ......stop. We get caught up in the day to day duties of having a job, a family, simple responsibilities that really aren't all that simple. Add a few family issues, health issues or job issues and without realizing it, we are like a dog chasing our tail. Running in a circle. Trying to be everything to everyone. Devoting and giving so much of ourselves to everyone else that we loose sight of what's really important. For me, I haven't been caught up in trying to be everything to everyone, I've simply been trying to deal with the curves I've been thrown the past few months. Appointments, therapy, treatments and trying to adapt has taken all my time and energy. So much so, that I forgot to stop. Until today. I don't know what triggered it. Perhaps I simply had enough and my coping mechanisms put on the brakes. Or maybe I'm over the emotional hurdles of the past few months and I simply....... stopped. I stopped and smelled the rain in the air. I noticed how green the grass is and the slight cool crispness in the air. I realized that summer is gone and fall is here. In the business of simply trying to get through all my challenges, I missed the entire summer. Summer came and went and I missed it. I missed the summer flowers, the summer showers and long summer drives. Granted I had a legitimate reason, but I still should have taken the time to stop, and because I didn't I missed an entire season. So, from now on I will stop, everyday. I will take the time, even if it's just a moment, to close my eyes and savor the scents and sounds of fall while I give thanks that in spite of all the challenges that have been thrown at me, I'm still here and I'm still ME.