Sometimes we just need to allow ourselves some calmness.

That’s the reality which came to me one morning this past week somewhere around 2:30 a.m.

Groggy, yet struggling with the reality that no matter how I tried I could not keep my mind from racing I had an odd, yet accurate epiphany.

Pretty much from October through December my mind had been in overdrive. No longer the mother of littles, Halloween antics are no longer a thing, yet other things were. Rolling from one thing to the next, as mothers do, we found ourselves traveling from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

For many that week following Christmas might be the ideal time to just reset a bit before taking on the New Year. Well, not this girl.

My birthday happens to fall five days after Christmas.

Oh now I hear some of you, please don’t feel sorry for me in any way, as I happen to have a great time with great people each and every year. It’s always a celebration of some sort and a good one at that.

This year, however, I was emphatic on making it a weeklong event. Recognizing the year which had preceded it, as well as the year before that AND the year before that … we intended to party. My statement simple and true, I’d fought hard to reach another birthday and we would make the most of it. And so we did.

We did this so well, that four days later that 2:30 a.m. realization came along. Funny right? Well not really, as it left me exhausted for a few days. Yes, dear daughter; my birthday week made me tired too.

Midway through my birthday week my 15-year-old shared while she found it a lot of fun, it was also exhausting. Oh, but the memories we made were oh so worth it.

But back to this calmness epiphany.

I once read some random thing on social media about Mother Earth and the purpose of seasons. I’m going to paraphrase a lot here so for those who know this analogy accurately, I apologize.

The gist of what I read explained how winter was a time for the body, mind and soul to rest. Less hours of sunlight intentional, to place us in a sort of hibernation - a forced rest as it were. An opportunity to allow the body to rest and rejuvenate for the excitement and activity of the spring and summer to come.

It’s an interesting notion quite honestly and that morning at 2:30 as my mind was racing and I recognized there was truly no reason, I felt this Mother Earth lesson.

Now truth be told, I’ve spent the better part of the past decade fine tuning the art of stillness. I’ve just always been a busy person working on some project or another, planning a trip or off on a hike.

But there is something to be said for allowing our minds to be at peace for a bit, our bodies still and our breaths deep.

Everything just goes so fast anymore, much of it beyond our control. Placing ourselves in a bit of a time out however, is well within our control and most definitely in our best interest.

I don’t have the secret to this. So, if you’ve found yourself at the end of the column space hoping to find it … surprise! It’s not here.

Here is what I’ve started to do however.

Rather than make a big list of massive projects, I have a long list of mini projects. You know those things you really need to get done to just make life a little simpler yet keep putting off until who knows when.

One perfect example of this is my extremely outdated address book which must be brought into the 21st century; it’s time. Then there’s also the photo project which is looming. Taking photos from my laptop to photo books so my children see yes, I have documented your life beyond my iPhone.

These are the things which are part of that way too early reeling to-do list. Let’s just calm the heck down and put these things to rest. Just think, if we do it well and do it right, we’ll greet spring well rested and ready for what’s next. Now that sounds fun.

Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.