Are you like me? You get up and hit the ground running. You blast through your morning workout, meditation or prayer, (or maybe all three). Make coffee or tea, power up your phone, tablet or laptop and dive headlong into the day? The focus of the next twelve hours is jamming in as much productivity as possible, then it’s whip up dinner, a few hours of quality face time with the family then drop into bed.

Between clients, classes and coffee there was so much work to be done! Homework, research, interviews, business meetings and all that goes with running a business… where was the much-needed think time? Then a friend contacted me.

Hang out with a friend? Dare I pause amid the onslaught to enjoy a few hours away from the office? I’m ashamed to admit, I had to weigh it.

My friend of 24 years and I hadn’t connected for at least six months. I enjoy their company, insights and wisdom. Hanging out with friends has been tougher since starting the business. But at the end of my life, I won’t be wishing I did more work—I’ll be thinking about relationships that I missed out on. After that thought, I made the commitment. Enjoy the present and avoid regrets. Part of the reason is because “You never know” when the last time will really be the last time. We enjoyed catching up and talking about the too-much and the busy we were doing (even though he’s retired). Then he dropped a great gold nugget. “My mother used to say, ‘Plant Hyacinths for your soul.’ You probably need to take a trip.”

Wait, what? I felt my resistance rising and balking at the idea of “time wasting”. That saying All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, isn’t about just being a dull; It’s a dull life. It’s far too often void of the simple pleasures that nurture the soul. Even if I enjoy my work (which I do) if every minute of my day revolves around work, I start forgetting how to have fun. However, I already scored big points for taking the time to reconnect!

What does this mean for you?

I’m keenly aware that I’m in a season that is tremendously busy, but I know it’s a season. In the back of my mind, I’d like to take a vacation after graduation (and feel his remark was a nod from above!) It’s very easy to slip into a pattern of doing the same thing in the name of productivity. As a business owner, something to watch for is burnout. There’s nothing wrong with working, or being productive, but there is far more to life than only work.

The reality is there’s always going to be more work to do. You know what doesn’t last forever? Relationships and the lives of the people around us (or even ours for that matter.) Babies turn into children and those children turn into adults. The fresh fruit and vegetables have a short shelf life. Flowers bud, bloom, wither, and fade. Did you enjoy the fragrance? People move, they age, they disappear.

Beauty is fleeting and it must be savored when it’s present. There are so many simple pleasures just waiting to be enjoyed by your soul—coffee with a dear friend is only the tip of the iceberg. So what about you? How do you refresh? How often do you nurture your soul?

I’m on a quest to find what breathes life into my soul or changes the scenery and making time for it. Maybe planting some hyacinths would be a good idea too. How do you battle busyness? Drop your comments in the box below. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll see you soon.