Taking a mind vacation

My students are anxious. The semester's end is coming soon and they have lots to do, not just for my class. I understand anxious. I feel it, too.

When too many things demand my attention: home, family, church, school, friends.
When time is spread thin between important needs and and more important needs.
When the to-do list carries over onto the back or (worse) another page.
When I don't get to choose between good, better, best, but must simply do what's in front of me.
When sleeping is a dream and breathing seems impossible.

When that anxious feeling starts to overwhelm, I close my eyes. I take a deep breath. And I go for a mind vacation. I go to a point on the drive when we go to see our "Arizona" children, a point where I am far enough from home to feel all the duties attached to being home break away and a point before I start to take on the roles of mom and grandma for the visit. A point when I am just me. It's a moment of freedom. Just me and David in the car. What's outside is not relevant. It isn't even very geographically appealing. It is just the place where the worries and stresses go away: I can't do anything about what's behind me for now and I can't yet do anything about what's in front of me. When I take my mind vacation, this is the place I go. Just for a minute. Can't take a long time. Too much to do.

Pause. Go there. Okay.