Having the Ability to Escape….

Sometimes we all reach a point in our lives or our day where the sheer desperation and desire to escape settles in. It could be when a family member calls and needs you to drop your life for them, the buildup of all the stuff going on at work, your boss or a coworker yelling at you about something or just the attempt to juggle everything that we do…. it is just when you are about to reach your breaking point of quitting it all and shipping yourself off to a desert island. But it is during those times when things get bad, we have the ability to escape them. Sometimes it can just be a small thing we do that can change our mood, something we do that brings us back to who we were before the world began to crumble around us. That brief moment of absolute pleasure where all is right with the world; your breathing is slow and steady, your mind clear, happiness begins to form, and then a smile appears on your lips, a sight escapes from your mouth. It is in that moment when you have escaped the stuff you have to deal with on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It is those small moments that keep us going on; to keep fighting the fight that we sometimes feel we could lose at any moment.

It is in those simple, short moments that we discover who we are or were. It is in that moment when we remember how fun we use to be, how could have we let everything just get out of control, to forget all the important things and allow the non important things to take over; it is in the moment when our true being, the humanness of it all that we realize we cannot do everything. We do not have eight arms or all the time in the world to do everything that needs to be done. During those escape moments, we can reflect upon ourselves and who we are, were, and who we are to become. It is in those alone moments where important decisions are made or decisions are put on hold because you don’t feel like dealing with it at that moment. But it is those moments that happiness can flow, quietness rests and a true nature of peace is present. The only reason I bring up this topic is that I was able to escape this weekend; I got to escape from the decisions, trials, hardships that were wearing me down and it gave me the ability to rethink about everything. I was able to sit and think about the things that are important; what things I do that need to go and what I need to do more. We all have those moments where a long escape is needed to rethink, re-energize, and collect ourselves once more.  Of course this was a RARE moment where I was able to go away for the whole weekend, so I usually must rely on those small moments of escapism that I partake in a weekly basis. So here is my list of things I love to do to escape:

–        Long bathes, with the bubbles piled high up to my chin

–        Driving with the windows down, letting the wind blow through my hair

–        Dance party for one; could be in the car, my house, in my office… it usually lasts 2 – 3 songs

–        Lying on my back on a clear night and watching the stars

–        Listening to my favorite song

–        Watching my favorite movie

–        Sharing a joke with a friend and laughing so hard that I cry

–        Relaxing in my bedroom listening to Ella Fitzgerald or some kind of mellow music

–        Getting myself get lost in a book(duh… pretty obvious)

–        Taking a long walk

–        Looking into the eyes of someone I love

–        Eating ice cream straight from the carton with just a spoon

–        A Hug

Escaping is good, a moment of sheer joy and pleasure but we must remember that we cannot escape forever. We eventually need to return to the craziness, and busyness of our lives but for one, sweet, precious instant you don’t have to. You don’t have to worry about all the stuff that gets you down because you can always escape, even just for one second. All it takes is a moment to turn everything around…just one moment to have everything go the way you want it to. So when you feel like everything is going pear-shaped, just think of something that makes you happy; what is the one thing you can do that will allow you to escape and remember that life is supposed to be joyful, not frustrating.

So, I leave you with the voice of Ella (& Louis… it’s one of my favorite songs) to give you some peace like she has always given me. What are some ways that you escape? Hope you have a great week!!

(Regular posts about books are still coming…just thought I would mix it up a little and talk about something else)