We all need a break, sometimes…

Tags

books, children, childrens books, family, fun, holidays, incredible you, loved ones, parenting, South Africa, swellendam, time out, wilderness

So it’s that time of the year, Christmas is less than 20 days away!

In reflection, 2008 has been an amazing, trying and yet progress packed year for most of us including myself. Every challenge considered and so many lessons learned, it has all lead to progress in our lives and yet now it’s the time of the year that everyone needs a little quality family time. School holidays are going into full stride this week, and many are enjoying their annual leave. Summer has arrived and the sun is shining!

Now its unfortunate but true, its not very often where one has the opportunity to take exclusive quality time out with the ones we love, whether your children, parents, family or friends.  Sure, all year round we have weekends and afternoons, bedtime stories, braais, picnics, walks, dinners and so much more fun time with those closest to our hearts on a day to day basis. All too often though, we end up spending this time with our thoughts a million miles away, distracted and wrapped up in work, technology, daily chores, bills, what we are having for dinner, and the many other aspects of life we need to worry about. This diminishes the value of these precious moments and after the last 4 days I have now come to the conclusion, that it needs to be reiterated that spending time out, time in the sun and time with the people you love most in the world is sometimes worth more than doing or thinking about anything else.

I must say thank you to all our clients and staff that bore with us for the last 4 days while we closed for the first time since we opened for business almost 2 years ago. I have honestly not taken a single day without checking, or at least having the ability to check email or receive phone calls, so much so that any and all time out, when we have gone away for a weekend was planned almost entirely around cell phone reception.

This year we decided on visiting Wilderness Nature Reserve, which is one of the most breath taking, captivating and somewhat magical places I have seen or had the pleasure of seeing in my life. I will admit, I was extremely uneasy about not having access to reception, I worried, perhaps I would let someone down, in hindsight I am so grateful for that time.The peace of knowing I could not check an email and that I could not receive calls, the clarity and silence in my mind suddenly felt like a dream, like being a child in a way, able to have a small and yet infinite amount of time without worrying about anything. What bliss, 4 days later I feel entirely reconnected to all of those in my life whom I love and cherish most.

We went canoeing, hiking, swimming in the waterfalls (surprisingly child friendly waterfalls) and the fresh water river, braaied and chilled. We went to visit Sedgefield (a tiny town just past Wilderness) on the Friday where I found the most stunning dress for my daughter and on our way back we stopped in at the fairy Sanctuary in Swellendam. If you ever are in the area, this is Swellendam’s claim to fame, and well worth a visit especially if you have a daughter with you.

While we were there I found 2 amazing books  in their fairy shop, written by Dr Wayne Dyers:
•    Incredible You! 10 Ways to let your greatness shine through
•    Unstoppable Me!: 10 Ways to Soar Through Life

These books are brilliant, absolutely brilliant, books for children, teaching so much more than any other children’s books I know of currently, for children of any age. The pages and illustrations speak to you and your child, and the book end questions in the last pages, encourages your child to really thoroughly grip the messages being sent through these books.

Two exerts from Dr Wayne Dyers website describes  both books perfectly ( click to visit site):

Incredible you:
“Dr. Dyer’s very first children’s book! He has taken the ten concepts from his book for adults 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace and interpreted them for children, creating Incredible You! Wayne believes that it’s never too early for children to know that they’re unique and powerful beings, and that they have everything they need within themselves to create happy, successful lives.

With this book, parents can introduce these important ideas to their children. The ten concepts are numbered, titled, and set in rhyming verse, and vibrant illustrations bring each point to life. At the end, there are questions that kids can answer to connect these ideas to their own lives, and make them realize how incredible they truly are!”

Unstoppable Me:

“Following in the footsteps of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s first children’s book, the bestseller Incredible You! this work goes even further toward expressing Wayne’s positive message for children. In Unstoppable Me! Dr. Dyer teaches children how to hold on to the no-limit thinking he believes they were born with, rather than just trying to “fit in.” In doing so, they can learn to truly enjoy life and become unstoppable as they strive to attain their dreams.

The 10 important lessons in this book include the value of taking risks, dealing with stress and anxiety, and learning to enjoy each moment. Each point includes an example showing how a child might apply the concept in his or her everyday life. Similar to “Incredible You!”, there are questions at the end of the book to help spark discussion and to further reinforce Wayne’s message. “

If you intend buying your child a book this year, even if it is only one book, I highly recommend both of these books for your shopping list.

All in all , being back home now, re-energized and ready for the new year was worth every second, so go on, take time out, leave your work alone for just a few days, don’t give yourself a choice in the matter and enjoy the time out to concentrate purely on the yourself and the ones you love! Happy Holidays!