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TIME OUT OF TIME

When is it responsible and reasonable to take time out? And what do we do when taking time for ourselves seems impossible? There is a beautiful answer, and it lies closer than our fingertips.

Everyone these days is exercising, "in the zone," chillin', or living on the edge. Hang-gliding, bungie jumping, or flying a small plane are exciting ways to take a few hours of time away from our daily grind, but not all of us can do this. We cannot all even afford a day at the local spa. Perhaps someone's body precludes yoga or a trip to the gym, in our out of one's home. What do we do when the world becomes just too much?

One way to unwind and escape from the hustle and bustle of the holidays for me is to lose myself in writing. If you don't know where to begin, try websites and magazines and writers.com. If you need to, take a cretive writing course at your local community college. Keep a journal. There are books about journal keeping on the shelves at every bookstore in every mall. While you are there, check out what's good for reading. The more you read, the better writer you will become. Find some good books, sometimes for small amounts of money. Check out thrift stores and Goodwill. There are great online bookstores as well. Reading is a beautiful getaway.

My husband and I getaway with movies. We buy, rent, borrow, and check movies out of the library, and there are special movies we watch over and over. We courted over the dvd players and stereos.

Of all the quality ways to take time out for yourself, the finest and most life-enhancing gift of taking time for me is meditation. There are online newsletters and terrific magazines, but the greatest thing I do for my own self is to find a quiet place where I can be alone. I find something I can use, like a candle, to remove myself from the day-to-day world of work and school, and I connect with what I call the universal consciousness. My mind and spirit moves to a peaceful place where I am alone with the universe, alone inside myself, alone and yet a part of everything around me. There is so much to reach, so many levels of peace, love, and caring for other people, places, and all sentient beings on in the universe. During this time of hardship, unemployment, and widespread depression, we can tap into a deeper joy, a beauty beyond words and our day-to-day senses. This place is always inside me, it never leaves me. My life is better, my words are more powerful, and life is peaceful. In spite of the problems of the world, my life is positive and beautiful. All it takes is closing my eyes and opening my spirit to the universe around me.

This is how I take time out of the physical world and step fully into the world of the spiritual that exists all around me. Yes, all in all, it is an amazing univiverse we live in. Peace exists within us all. We just need to know where to look.

Taking time out can mean all the difference in the world. The best part is we bring that peace back with us, we bring a peace of our expanded selves into this small world each time we venture into the limitless universe. We become better with every "time out" we take, enhancing every moment of every day.

Learn more about this author, Tara Allan Stewart.
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