It’s hard to believe but yet another year is breezing past. It seems as if there are never enough hours in a day to do all the “to do” things on our lists. So here we are at holiday time, a time when schools are out for 2 weeks or more, and when people are frantically running in all directions to buy that perfect gift, or meet a friend for a quick cup of coffee (no longer a cup of coffee!).

It seems like we are always running or keeping dates to a time slot that fits within our already overbooked schedules. Gone are the days of my childhood which I remember were so special. We didn’t have the cell phone mania that we have today with a phone attached to our hip, or the iPod, iPad giving us the latest access to incoming messages, e mails, news alerts and more. I actually long for those days sometimes.

There are so many options in front of us on a daily basis, that it can be overwhelming to just decide what you are going to do next! I had to go to the drugstore to buy toothpaste. Quite a simple task you would think. I stood in front of the aisle staring at over what seemed to be 30 choices. So many brands, different levels of whitening, gel, cream or sparkling texture, different sizes at different prices; some with tartar control, some without.

After 5 minutes of staring at the vast collection, it made me think of my childhood when my mother sent me to the local store to pick up a tube of toothpaste. It was a simple task, there were only 3 brands from which to choose! And imagine, my mother did not have to worry whether I was safe or not, times were certainly different.

So after 5 minutes or so just last week prior to going on a short 4 day cruise, I purchased a 3 pack of one brand which was on sale, another large size brand because it promised the brightest whitener, and then of course a travel size with other promises on the cover of the box.

I then went over to the shampoo aisle and experienced the same dilemma. What I had hoped would be less than a 5 minute errand turned out to be a full half hour. Do you have any idea of how many shampoos there are from which to choose? Full volume, thin hair, for curly or straight hair choices, thick hair and on and on. Oh and then there are the bottles that are for colored hair with other descriptions in such tiny print that I could not even read. I chose to wait for a sales person who was helping another customer and before I knew it, another 15 minutes had gone by.

It brought to mind how very important it is to just take some time out of the day. Yes, everyone needs a break. The stimuli coming at us each second and minute add up to a full impact on the brain senses. The only way to stop is to find a quiet place to break. Everyone needs a break.

Vacations are great but there are so many things to see and occupy us, that we often need a vacation from our vacation. We tend to travel with friends so our down time is now talking time. Our nap time is cocktail time. Our dinner is preceded or followed by a movie or theater or other event. Where are the days where we did not make any plans?

So again, and I wish I would follow my own advice, I remind you all during this upcoming year, to take a break. To just stop and do nothing. Take time to think. Just take some time for yourself.

It will bring you peace and a much needed rest.