Headed out last Friday to get a little “tree time”. That is what I call it. Other people call it “hunting”, but I always end up sitting in a tree far more than anything else. Hunting is only a small part. I love it. I love sitting there and just observing God’s beautiful creation in its natural habitat. Cold beautiful mornings mixed with luscious green pines on rolling landscapes of knee high grass. It’s breathtaking.

Tree time gives me time to myself…and that’s important. I need a break every now and then. I need a break in routines. I need a break from work. I need a break even from myself.

Sometimes I just need to sit still…be quiet…and just relax. Sometimes I just need to hear the wind blow through the trees. It’s peaceful. Somewhere in all that peaceful surrounding, I lose myself for a second and forget all the stress of everyday life. I let go of the responsibilities that I have for a few hours and just slow down to enjoy the scenery.

My greatest goal in life might be to figure out a way, in my life, to just slow down and enjoy more of the scenery. I don’t want to work to death. I don’t want to get to the end of this journey and reflect back on how hard I worked or gave myself to any one thing…unless that one thing is my family. I was reminded of that this weekend. I fell more in love with my wife and kids this weekend then ever before. Why? Because they are my heartbeat…they are the wind that sway me…they are the gorgeous orange yellow sunrise in my life. This weekend reminded me who I am supposed to be. It slowed me down another 10 miles per hour and gave me more patience than I had the previous weekend.

Do you have a weekend like this? Do you set aside quiet time just for yourself to refocus? You should.