I hit the ground running. Are you familiar with this phrase? It seems this has been my life lately and especially for 2014. By the time I go to bed I am exhausted. When did we get so busy? When did life rule our lives to the point we are just going round and round in circles like a dog chasing his tail? But yet we do.

I am a wife, mom, sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, a writer, a housewife, treasurer of my community watch group, organizer of my book club, run a writer’s group, freelance writer and photographer for a magazine in our county and a host of other things. I am sure you all can relate. The list is way longer then what I just wrote.

As cliché as this line is, take time to smell the roses, do we? We are so busy trying to multitask and getting so much done in a shorter time that not only do we hurt ourselves mentally and physically but we also hurt those around us. We spend so much time either online, on our phones or in meetings or going to meetings if someone came up to me and went boo I would scream. Being exhausted can become a state of mind if we are not careful. We need to slow down people. A time for us to recharge, rest and enjoy what is around us before it is too late. We already have regrets in our lives do we need to add more?

It is easy for us to say oh we will do it later. I can take care of that after this and this is done. But do we do that? Or do we just add more to our plates, striking three things off our to do list but adding four or five?

My son graduated from college this past Saturday and surprisingly I didn’t cry. I did for his high school graduation. I was so proud of my little man. There was a time we did everything together, he was my sidekick. But as we grew older and both our lives got busy that has weaned a bit. Having one child I can’t afford to let opportunities get wasted for before I know it, he will be away by miles and not be nearby.

Wake up call everyone. Slow down. Take a walk, enjoy a cup of tea, go for a walk, hit a movie in the middle of the day, or whatever suits your fancy. We are not getting younger in body but I hope to stay young in mind. I hope to be here a while. But not only for myself, but for my family and friend as well.