Enjoying Every Little Thing

Hey Everyone! Well, it has been an up and down week between weather, getting the garden cleaned out, and driving kids to practice/work. But finally, today I got to stay home ALL day, and it was fantastic. Running around is more unusual for me as the farm needs attention, but sometimes life throws you curve balls that you have to roll with. That being said, when you get out of a routine, you also appreciate the little things more, like waking up to a rooster crowing and enjoying him instead of wanting to shoot him, or your daughter saying pillow fight and then giggling as she waylays you. Walking down the stairs, the house is freezing because the fire went out during the night. Normally this might bring a grumpy response, but once you light the fire and feel the soft fingertips of the flame reaching, your body awakes, and you don't mind the task so much. When you run around, you are overloaded or pressured with time and people. It may not seem to affect you or your health at first, but the longer you do it, the more you miss the quiet or special little things. Even if you love the hustle of the city, you still have a routine or things you love about simple pleasures. Trust me, I believe in getting out, being refreshed, and taking a vacation. It is the mindless running around that I'm talking about and can affect people. So what's my point? Well, people are always saying they need to get away or want to go somewhere. But I don't believe it's necessarily the getting away or mindless running that needs to happen. It is simply making the life where you are at where you want to be. There will always be a bigger and better place in your mind or scenario. And there will always be the possibility that your child will turn out to be an Olympic star. But don't give up living and enjoying the simple pleasures because you always want to be somewhere else. Or feel you will ruin your child's life if they are not in every school event. Harrison Ford said it best in, Six Days and Seven Nights, "It's an island, babe. If you don't bring it here, you won't find it here." Contentment comes in finding out who you are, not in how many places you can go or how often you run around. As I write about health, I'm reminded that contentment is probably the biggest key to every person's health. Because if you are content, you are not stressed. As we all know, stress kills, so every person should avoid it or the environment where you feel it. Now sometimes you can't control the environment, like for me this week. So to keep the stress low, I needed to find joy in running instead of stressing myself out because things were piling up at home. And by doing that, I learned to enjoy the tiny little things at the same time. Kind of a domino effect; once the dominos fall, you can see over the top and have a new perspective. You may be thinking, "well, duh," but even when something seems like common sense, we still overlook it. So I'm challenging you for your health and contentment to stop running in circles and learn to be who you are where you are while appreciating life's small everyday pleasures. Well, that's my health tip and thought of the week. Go, take a walk, make a meal for the family, stop at a coffee shop and people watch. Or, sit by the fire, work in your yard, talk to a friend, and remember it's the simple and little things that keep a smile on your face. And if you're put in an environment where you can't help it, smile and find a blessing anyway. Love you, and as always, remember to stay healthy and free! Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family. “I love helping people feel better about life.”