Carrie Fox

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Anne Lamott

—

If you know me even a bit, this next line won’t surprise you.

I work a lot.

It’s not a bad thing, on most days.  I like to think it is quite the opposite.  I feel completely blessed that I get to enter every day at Mission Partners enthralled and excited by the purpose of our work, and the potential of the day ahead. Especially amid the weighty issues we take on, I realize the place of privilege in which I sit.  I am full of gratitude for the people in this with me, and the assignments I am invited to take on, in support of causes that matter deeply to us. The only challenge, for me, is turning it off.

But this week, I will.

This week, I’ll be up in the mountains of Colorado, taking in never-ending views and star-filled skies with my husband and our growing-too-fast little girls.  I’ll be riding horses with my newly minted five-year-old, who wants to be a cowgirl when she grows up, and paddle boating with my eight-year-old, who I am certain is far more coordinated than I ever will be at such activities.  Without the buzz of technology, and the pressures of this day’s deadlines, I hope to sink back into a slower pace, knowing that this trip is just as much for my good as it is for my family, and my business.

I don’t share any of this to flaunt a family vacation. In fact, the whole idea of this post feels very uncomfortable. I share it because I have, for far too long, lived by a self-imposed rule that I not be disconnected during the week.  I commit to be always on, and always ready….which means always juggling and always walking faster than I should. Generally, it works. Surprisingly, it often works very well.

But this week, I need a different focus.

I realize that life at its best, is happening right in front of me.  But, its not on this screen, and it’s going by way too fast. There are two little girls and one very sweet man who deserve far better than a multi-tasking, marathon-working mom.

So, give me a few extra days to get back to your last email, and hopefully next week we can pick right back up where we left off.

This week, I’m happy to say, I’m booked.