Last week we kicked off a series of lessons my family learned when our air conditioning went out.  This entry is about stepping away from the heat.

Our air conditioning was down for around a week or so.  We spent the first five of those days staying at home, trying to keep cool, while the temperature continually rose in the house.  By the fifth day, we were all sick of consistently being hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable.  We were all low key grumpy and irritated at each other and the world. 

While it wasn’t ideal, I decided to get us a hotel room just down the street for the night.  It might sound silly, but this made a HUGE difference.  Everyone had a chance to step away from the environment for a day and be more comfortable.  It gave us a chance to recharge and recenter.  The next day, we opted to drive over to my parents’ house and have a sleepover in the middle of the week, which my kids thought was the best thing ever.  After stepping away for a couple of days we had recharged and were ready to handle the heat and other things life threw in our direction.

You might be wondering what this has to do with anything.  When we first went to the hotel room, we weren’t aware of the toll the heat was taking on us.  We didn’t realize how agitated we had become.  Stepping away from that heat not only gave us perspective, but it gave us a chance to recharge.

Think about your life for a minute.  Maybe there’s a challenge at work.  Maybe there’s a challenge at home.  Maybe there is a tough environment.  Sure, you could just stay in that environment every day, but sooner or later that will wear you down.  You might need to step away from it for a minute.  You might need to step away to clear your mind.  You might need to step away into a better feeling environment to reground.  You might need to step away, so you can recharge.  The heat of life is always going to be there, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in it all the time.

The challenge: Will you recognize when you need to step away from the heat?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry