Heat, rest, and flexibility

I have always been a very task oriented person.  This is a continuous struggle as it can lead to a life of imbalance.  This weekend I didn't have much planned, other than being productive.  I had grand plans of working on report cards, going into my classroom to prep for the next science unit, and working on lesson plans.  However; when I awoke yesterday I realized that not only was the power out, but the temperature outside was 85 degrees and it wasn't even 8 AM.  As the temperature began to rise, I became more miserable and decided to go to the pool.  This wasn't in my original plans, but because I'm working on being more flexible, I thought this would be a great way to cool down.  I swam a few laps and basked in the fact that I didn't feel hot.  As I was finishing, one of my students showed up with his family.  I sat on the edge of the kiddie pool and talked with his mom as he swam.  It was so nice to catch up with her and as I left an hour later, I realized I had just had a conversation that wouldn't have happened had I stuck through the heat and the no power and tried to check off my to-do list.  I came back and turned on my fan, since the power had returned, and just read my book.  I caught up on some emails and relaxed.  I didn't feel like working on report cards and so after dinner and some more reading, I went to bed, deciding Sunday would be a much more productive day.

You may have guessed it, I awoke to the same heat and the same story.  After church, I came home and threw myself on my bed, feeling hot and tired.  I started working on report cards and finished one before the power went out.  I continued to work since my computer battery was charged, but soon started to feel tired.  I took a nap and then went back to the pool because the heat was just too much.  When I walked through the gate leading to the pool, I was amazed to see how many people were there, enjoying the water.  Seeing that I wasn't the only one that needed to cool off, I started to rethink my plan for the weekend.  I had completely failed as far as being productive and doing work.  However; I had rested and relaxed.  I believe the heat and other extraneous circumstances played a big part in my decisions, but I was thankful for them because they forced me to change my plans and allow my body to rest. I am taking away an important lesson from this weekend.  One is that I am going to have to toughen up and get used to this heat, but more importantly, rest is crucial for all of us.  It also helped me to realize that I must be more flexible and have grace for myself when my plans do not work out.  I have no doubt that I'll still get everything finished in time and I can now begin the week well rested and not quite as hot, at least until tomorrow morning that is!