CREATIVE THINKING: Nature helps me unwind, recharge
High atop the rich, red clay mountains, our weekend destination awaited. We had been invited to visit former Gov. Roy Barnes and his wife, Marie, at their farm nestled among the rolling hills of north Georgia.
It was a gorgeous day with the sky bluer than normal and a slight chill in the air. Not even a fluffy, white cloud dared to float in the cobalt blue sky for fear of diluting its color.
Cows greeted us as we drove through the large iron gates. The long, winding driveway was scattered with leaves that crunched as we drove up to the main house. From the moment we opened the car door, a special peace filled the air.
I took a deep breath in and slowly released it -- along with my hectic schedule that continually bounces around in my head. I needed a time to rest and recharge my batteries for the busy upcoming holidays.
Making a trip to the car to get the last piece of luggage, I experienced something I hadn't in a very long time. It was totally silent. We left the blowing horns and congested traffic on the highway along with our very busy lifestyle. My wife, Debra, and I run at about 100 miles an hour most of the time, but for a couple days we were going to slow down to a snail's pace.
I couldn't help but think of what my spin class teacher told our class the other day at the gym. We were riding our stationery bikes at what felt like the speed of sound for almost a minute and then she instructed us to slow way down and rest.
"That's how your body works to become more efficient and stronger. In order to once again go full force ahead, it is very important to recharge our bodies and take this rest. You're going to need it!" she said. After a couple of minutes of pedaling slowly, she directed us to charge full speed ahead.
I remember thinking to myself how important this recharging is in all parts of our lives. None of us are superheroes, and we all need to pause from time to time to be still.
Doing just that was our goal for the weekend. We had no specific schedule to be anywhere or do anything. We had promised ourselves to do something we seldom do -- to pause and live totally in the moment!
The blue sky soon deepened a bit and the air grew cooler. On the spur of the moment, Marie suggested we grab some blankets and hop in an all-terrain vehicle and head to the pasture in search of a sunset.
Like being on a hay ride, I smiled with delight as we passed many cows. Some of them were chewing on grass for supper while the others had apparently already finished and were just relaxing as we rode by.
We passed a completely still lake before stopping at the top of a large hill. We hopped off and I stood in one place and turned completely around in a circle. All I could see was a vast stretch of land surrounded by a huge blue sky with cows grazing in the fields and a golden yellow sun slowly attempting to hide behind the tree line.
We stood silently in the presence of nature. Everyone and everything was quiet as the sun passed its baton to a bright, crescent shaped moon.
I stood in awe, almost holding my breath, as I blocked everything else out of my mind and simply relished that moment in time. It was both amazing and beautiful, and left me refreshed and with a big smile on my face.
How blessed we were to be standing at that place at that particular time to witness one day slowly begin to slip into another.
"How many sunsets have I missed because I didn't pause to enjoy them?" I wondered to myself on the ride back down the hill to the house.
Unfortunately, I have missed a lot of them. I'm usually frantically flying from one event to another or working nonstop on a project with a looming deadline.
The next morning we awoke to the sounds of chirping birds and mooing cows instead of honking horns and ringing phones. Wiping the sleep from our eyes, we meandered into the kitchen in our pajamas where I made biscuits while Marie fried bacon and scrambled eggs.
We didn't know what time it was -- and we didn't even care.
Although short, the trip was refreshing and allowed us time to rest so we can go forward. It will provide the energy to continue our journey through the coming holiday season. Not even a well-oiled engine can run at 100 percent all of the time. We need to plug in to our happy place and be still while our batteries recharge.
If you just happen to catch a sunset, you'll be guaranteed an extra boost!
Mark Ballard's column runs each week in The Telegraph. Send your questions or comments to P.O. Box 4232, Macon, GA 31208; call 478-757-6877; email markballard@cox.net; follow him at instagram.com/markcreates; or become a subscriber to Mark's Facebook page.
This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "CREATIVE THINKING: Nature helps me unwind, recharge ."