A pause that refreshes.

I took a break from the computer this week.  I spent the week with my grandsons, most of it outdoors in spite of the weather.

I purposely gave my laptop to my friend, Mark Miller.  He worked on several glitches I have, including its slowness.

It returned to me today a much faster and more cherished friend.   I needed that break from writing. I did have withdrawal: I make my living typing away and love the process of putting words on paper and the screen.

But I needed a break.  And the only way I get a break is when I remove myself from my laptop.

It was a pause that refreshed.  And I had a blast with my grandsons Noah and Jack.

In my former life as a basketball coach, I attended a seminar led by Bobby Knight, then Indiana’s coach.  He made  a statement that has stayed with me,  “The hardest thing for a coach to do is to know when not to practice.  It’s important to step back at times, give your team a break, and pause before stepping back into the fray.”

How true… and how difficult.

Balance… That’s what it is about.  It’s my key word for 2010.  It’s a term I struggle with.

Balance is something I want to learn.

To know when to work hard, as we say in writing,  “put your seat in the seat and write”.  But also to know when to step back and take a break.

“Come to the woods, for here is rest.”   -John Muir.