The cost of relaxation is FREE!

So....I get up every morning at 5am to get my hubby off to work for the day.  I fix his lunch and breakfast followed by one of the following: cleaning, gym time, sleeping, writing, studying, praying and meditating.  I did something a bit different last week that was so wonderful, I had to share it with you all.

After breakfast, hubby and I decided to sit on our deck at dawn and let nature feed our souls.  The birds were busy starting their day and the sun was shaking its sleep off and starting to rise. It was fabulous!  I thought hmm...what a simple way to start the day.  I had never thought about just sitting.  I'm not one to sit in the mornings because I believe it makes me sleepy and gets me in a mindframe of laziness for the day.  I have to talk myself out of climbing back in the bed every morning after hubby goes to work.  Most days, I win.  There are others that aren't so successful.  Anyway, after I sat outside for another hour after hubby left, I decided to take nature with me all day.  I got myself dressed, grabbed my dog and headed to Ft. Harrison State Park for a nature walk.  It was around 7am and the park doesn't officially open until 8:30 (open with an attendant on duty).  I was the only car in the park!  Okay, for those of you that don't know, I have a fear of being in nature ALONE!  If something happens, whose around to hear me scream?  What if a deer decides to stomp me to death?  Nobody would know! LOL.

I worked up the nerve, got out of the car and started my walk.  It turned into a jog because the sounds of nature and knowing that I was alone was so frightening to me that I panicked...slightly!  Then I thought, what's the point of being in nature if I don't want to BE in nature?  Didn't I come here to relax?  So, I decided to walk the paths in the park that I had just jogged.  It was the best thing I did for myself that day.  I was more relaxed once I let all my inhibitions go, and the fact that I didn't get stomped by a deer helped!  I was able to get my meditation time in, get my run in for the day, exercise my dog, get over  my fear of nature (slightly) and relax.  Everyone should take time out, even if it's 15 minutes, in the mornings to reconnect your soul with the nature that God intended for you to enjoy.  Your Creator gave you the gift of trees, birds, grass, fresh air, etc, etc..receive it gladly!  The best part is, in this economy, this is a free commodity for you to enjoy!

Here's a few photos I took from my deck the morning of.