A jeep, a beach, a pooch and…

…some time to chill.

Ever hit one of those moments where you just need to kick back by yourself a bit? And, as one beer slogan puts it - “find your beach”.

I did just that.

Sometimes the only reason you really need is nothing more then, “just because.”

Other times, it does the soul good to step out of life’s “boxing ring” and give yourself perhaps the most important gift you can.

Time to think.

It’s amazing what an isolated beach, salt air, a golden retriever and a couple lines in the water can do. It seems life is continuously measured by the speed of "xyz”. Doesn’t matter what that is.

But we’ve come to this point of continuous bombardments of “dings”, “buzzes”, “push announcements”. Has it become Pavlovian? We’re addicted to that little device in our pockets burping out emotional reinforcements and creating that sense that we’re needed, immediately.

So, I decided to turn it off and go romp for a while.

Not long, but enough to get “off the grid” for a very long afternoon. I know, I know…”whoop-de-do”. But think about it, when was the last time you gave yourself one full afternoon as a pure gift and let your mind wander.

Heck maybe even process through some challenges. Hey, if I’m feeling real bold I’ll try to think through several “dominoes” of “what ifs” on whatever my topic of the day is. Ran across an article in Forbes that highlighted this very point with this quote:

“The busier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from some quiet time.”

A few benefits: Increases Empathy; Increases Productivity; Sparks Creativity; Builds Mental Strength; Gives you an opportunity to plan your life; Get in touch with yourself. Here’s the link.

To me, it drives to that “Life Planning” thing. Are you on the track you envisioned for yourself? If so, great! What’s next. If not, how did it derail, and what are you going to do about it?

We all know, the answer sits inside you. No one else.

But first…give yourself this gift: Time off the grid, with no commercial interruptions to think.

Find that beach, that park, that riverbed, that special place and give yourself a few hours, maybe more.

…you probably need it more than you think.

PS: What was nice about bringing Ella along is that she never has a critical or sarcastic word. Dogs really keep it pretty simple, don’t they?