A Perfect Balance

Monday night I was reading Claire the story about the ant and the grasshopper.  You know the one.  The ant works hard all summer to save food while the grasshopper plays and then when winter rolls around the grasshopper has nothing to eat and the ant says you should have worked harder. 

I know this is suppose to teach a lesson but I can't help but wonder if it teaches the wrong one.  Yes, you should work hard.  However, most of us work hard all of the time and never get a break.  I'm thinking mainly of working moms.  It is exhausting to be supermom, but you do it because you don't have another option.  There are so many women that put themselves last and get burnt out and upset because they don't feel appreciated.

In my experience, if you take some time to enjoy the simple things in life it makes your soul happier.  It's the small things, after all, that are the most important but they tend to get lost in the day to day activities of life.
We have been having beautiful weather lately, so I spent yesterday playing outside.  I took the day off from the computer and laundry and dishes and just played.  Claire and I played sidewalk chalk, bubbles and basketball.  We rode bikes and swang on the swing, played with play-doh and watched some Sesame Street and Dora.  Then we went and had dinner with some friends.  It was a great day!

I realize that not everyone can take an entire day off to play but you can take 15 or 20 minutes.  Take a walk with your family, read a book by yourself or just stop to smell the roses.  The point is that you should take some time for yourself because breaks help you to reenergize and be more productive.