Stop.

I was forcibly reminded this week of the value of Stop.

I had a pretty bad illness earlier this week…I’ll spare you the details. But in the midst of returning home from a backpacking trip and getting ready for my Aces retreat this weekend (a month earlier than usual), I was truly not in the mood for not working.

But the only reason I’m on the retreat right now is that I stopped and let my body recover. I slept more in one day than any typical two. I forced myself (with family encouragement) to stay put. I thought, but I didn’t act.

And in the end, my body did its job and recovered juuuuust enough to make this retreat work. I’ll need to Stop again, for a few minutes, on Monday.

And I so remember again that what they tell you in aircraft safety announcements is really true: you have to take care of yourself first if you want to be able to effectively care for others.

Stop. Rest. You’ll be better for it.