Time Out at Salem Lake!

One thing I’ve learned is that it is always important to keep your gas tank full.

And not just the car tank – but your own personal soul tank too. If you are running on empty, you don’t have anything to give anyone else.

Sometimes that means fitting in just an hour for yourself even if a gazillion other things are on your plate.

Or --- something I’ve heard a lot lately on every plane flight – so much so that I can repeat it word for word with the flight attendant: “If you are traveling with someone who needs assistance, apply your own mask first, and then offer assistance ---“ Hard to help someone with their oxygen if you don’t have enough for yourself.

This morning securing my own oxygen mask came in the form of a bit of time out in between running errands. Book orders to the post office at 8:30! Bank deposit to the bank shortly thereafter --- and before returning home to dig deep into more book edits, I drove to near by Salem Lake --- I hadn’t been there in almost a year. How’s that for crazy?

I just needed some time for the dappled sunlight of morning through the trees, the hum of bugs and the chirp of birds, and I wanted to see how things were going on the reconstruction of the dam.

They’ve got the construction going now so that you can’t take the walking trails all the way around the lake --- you can only go so far and have to turn around ---so I walk-jogged 2.5 miles out and 2.5 miles back for a total of 5 miles. The green dot on the map is where I started and ended. Total time taken as “time out” for me? One hour and twenty minutes. Worth every second!

Humidity has returned to the south!

The water levels are still way down because the reconstruction of the dam is still going on. Can you see that cloudless sky? It’s going to be a hot one today, and I should have been out there before 7am, not 9am like I was!

Water levels WAY LOW!

It was wonderful to see the trees so lush with green ----and though it looks like an empty path, there were lots of mountain bikers, walkers and joggers about. And plenty of pooches leading their masters too! This lake is probably my favorite spot in all of Winston Salem.

There is a bench just before where a bridge crosses this little creek – SUCH a scenic spot, and I always love to sit for just a few minutes and ponder and reflect. Just the sound of the trickling water brings peace to an otherwise hectic day.

I hope my sharing of my “time out” amidst all of the things on the To-Do list brought a bit of beauty and peace to your day too!