Sometimes You Just Need To Get Away

I love my family. I really do. My husband works hard every day to provide for us and still comes home with a smile on his face. He still has the foresight to play with the kids, talk with them, tell me about his day, and he even helps with the housework some evenings. I am blessed to be able to stay home with the kids and homeschool them. I am with them all day long and we are working and growing and learning together.

But some days I just need to get away. For me, I didn’t even know how much I needed to just get away from it all until we did. And it was so much fun!

My Birthday

This week was my birthday. Personally, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. But the kids and hubby like to do things like cake and presents just like we do for them. And I really do appreciate it. Just like with other special occasions during the year it’s truly entertaining to watch the kids plan and prepare.

But this year was different. And truly memorable.

It all started when hubby decided that we were going to go out. He scheduled to leave work early, lined up a sitter, and told me to plan something. Sadly, I had no idea what to do. We sort of live in the middle of nowhere, so it’s not like our options are great. Even the day of, we still had no real plans.

Heading Into The Great Unknown

We told the sitters (yes, there were two!) we’d be back and took off. With no plans. Which is kind of a big deal since I am a planner. Trying to figure out what to do was challenging though because I was tired. The idea of driving to the nearest city was exhausting and I just didn’t have it in me to do so. The idea of eating at a restaurant we didn’t really care for didn’t seem like a great idea either.

So we got in his truck and left. Right from the get-go, it was different, but in a good way. See, we have different tastes in music. So as soon as I got in the truck I noticed he had changed the station to what I like. Yay! We headed off down some back road and just drove.

Around here it’s not hard to find back roads, dirt roads, and this time of year, mud. We drove around with no real plan or destination in mind. Enjoying conversation, company, and letting go of some of the stresses of life. And it was in these moments I realized that I wasn’t aware how stressed I had become. The true emotional weight of not just life, but our home, the kids future, and mostly the loss of a dear friend to a painful and terrible disease all came bubbling to the surface.

Revelations Can Be Found In All Kinds Of Places

Now, I don’t want this post to be a downer. I know there is hope out there to be found, but the key is you have to find it. I know I have hope every day that my husband will do good at work. Hope that the kids will learn something new during the day from one of their lessons. Hope that even though my friend is gone, she is in a better place.

But sometimes, when life’s storms collide it can leave a person weary. And sometimes, they don’t even know they are weary until they are driving down the road.

The rest of the evening was just as much fun as the start. We drove aimlessly for a couple of hours and then decided it was time to eat. Upon the recommendation of a store clerk we drove another 20-miles from home to a fabulous dinner filled with a few too many calories, but tons of laughter as well.

The ironic part of the evening was we ended up further from home than if we had set off with a destination in mind. The wonderful part was we had a better evening than I think we could have planned.

Clearing Some Of The Chaos

Life is full of chaos. We all know it. I even share some of mine with you, and though it can sometimes be uncomfortable to do so I believe it’s worth it.

See that evening wasn’t just about my birthday or going out – even if that was the plan. It morphed into something so much better. Something that never could have been planned. For me, it helped clear my mind of some of the stress, the worry, the fear, and the sadness. It gave me an opportunity to spend a few hours carefree, which I didn’t even know I needed until it happened.

Life does that though. It bogs us down slowly with one demand here, one crisis there, and one request from somewhere. While on their own they seem harmless, compiled together than can sometimes leave us burdened. If we are not careful those burdens can fester and grow.

Driving around that evening with my husband wasn’t about running from my worries and stress. See the same problems, the same things that bothered me were still there. What it did do was clear my head. It allowed me a few hours to just release stress and worry that I didn’t even know held on to.

And that was a wonderful thing.

How do you release some of the stress of your life? Comment below!