keepin' it real.

imagine you are sitting at a table, sharing a meal with those closest to you. those who truly know your heart, as well as the ins and outs 

of your daily life.  

imagine, then, that you asked them this question:  

"do you think i can sustain this pace of life?" 

what do you think they would say?  

what would you say if you asked yourself as much?

(viawordfileuk)

i have been struggling with my futile attempt at being superwoman/supermom/superwife for as long as i can remember, honestly.  as americans, with our nonstop-socialmedia-instantgratification-gimmenow-iwantmore culture, i believe we all struggle with our own attempts to "save the world" on a daily basis... 

what will happen if i don't answer that call during dinner?  what if i don't check my email immediately upon waking? i don't really need 8 hours of sleep! martha lives on 4! pdiddy never sleeps!  i'll teach my daughter how to tie her shoes tomorrow... i could go on and on and on.

but, what happens when our lives get so manic that we lose sight of what's really important?  and what is missing out on the good stuff really costing us?  

as i write this i'm sitting at a completely disheveled computer desk, boxes still unpacked (i moved into our temp apartment a month and a half ago, people), with a huge to-do list nagging at my brain.  my knee is doing that annoying bouncing up and down thing, and i'm having to force myself to not look at my phone every time i get 

a new text/tweet/email/phone call. 

("get off the damn computer then, woman!" you say. ha. easier said than done, my friends. 

but i'm getting there.)

in church this morning, the message was about this very issue, and it hit me like a lightning bolt. btw, i am a christian. lets just get that out of the way right now so you know what deck of cards i'm playing with, shall we?  don't worry, i am not going to shove any religion down your throat, this isn't a religious blog, per se; i just can't go on about my day like i didn't learn what i did this morning. 

because no matter what you believe, 

i think it can help you, too.

*edit: i love my church--it honestly kicks ass. i can say that because that's the kind of church it is. didn't mean for this post to sound like anything less!
if you are interested in this message, which says this even better than i can, go here:  
http://buckheadchurch.org/

the series we're currently discussing is titled "life apps", and today's app was 

rest. 

rest is something we clearly and unambiguously take for granted; whether it be actual sleep, or the mental break we can--and should--give ourselves after a big project at work or school, or any particularly trying 

event or time in our lives.  

think about it: you don't run a marathon and then go work out, do you?  

you stop. you ice. you eat. you sleep. 

in my case, you'd drink. maybe a lot. but i digress.

we weren't built to incessantly live, work, play, work, work, tweet, work, click, click, email, work... we just weren't.  you certainly can't function best when tired; remember when you were a kid, had a slumber party, stayed up all night eating doritos & watching movies, and then could still play barbies or g.i. joe the next day? yeah, me too.

how about in college, when you went out with friends using your sorority sister's fake i.d. (even though she was 8 inches taller than you) to play beer pong/quarters/buffalo club/flip cup/century club, go dancing & party all night, then pass out in the wee hours of the morning and have to get up for that 8am class you swore was going to be "worth it"? me too.

what if you tried to do those things now, as a

(again, i use this term loosely)

grown up? what if you tried to do it like three weeks ago and feel like you can still feel the after effects? ok, maybe that's a lesson for another day...

but you certainly can't be at your best when you're mentally & physically exhausted.

trust me. 

the panic attacks/palpitations/sleeplessness/guilt trips etc. are starting to adversely affect me physically.

little sleep + stress + coffee/tea/whynatte/redbull +pressure from self, society, whatever = 

a big, hot, mess. 

we may feel like we're getting a lot done, 

but we will eventually burn out.

how can we realize our dreams or hear what God/the universe/whatever you believe is trying to tell us with all that incessant noise in our heads?

what i'm sayin is this:

(via flickr)

slooooooowwwww down. 

turn off the phone at dinner. better yet, don't bring it to the table!

talk. discuss. argue. encourage. question. in person.

write a thank you letter or 

an "i'm thinking of you" note. with a pen. 

take the time to cook a meal, not drive through.

play with your children/pets/friends' or family members' kids--honestly, you can use mine anytime. 

go out for a walk, ride a bike, go for a sail, take a hike, ride your unicycle or rollerblade for all i care.  

un plug. 

(it will make you a better, happier, 

more focused person.) 

i'm going to. 

i won't be here tomorrow, because i'm going to turn off my computer for 24 hrs. 

no twitter for 24 hrs. no email, facebook, pinterest, tumblr, polyvore, etc. for twenty four measly hours.

i need a re-charge. 

i also need to pack, cause i'm taking my girls to the beach this week for a real re-charge, 

and some quality time together.

(via flickr)

----->

(via scubaboard)

i'll be back online by tuesday, hopefully refreshed and somewhat reorganized, with priorities in check. 

i have some changes to make. 

baby steps, people. 

i deserve it. my kids, husband, family & friends deserve to have the best version of me... 

and you deserve it, too. 

xo

*ps. if you made it this far down, congratulations! 

go hydrate or something, you must be thirsty after all that reading.

*pps. clearly i have a tim walker obsession. (he's my fave. more on him next week.) all images by him unless otherwise noted.