So yesterday I talked about decompressing and what it looks like for me as well as how it’s an integral part of rest. If decompressing is largely focused on giving your brain a break on the amount of information it receives, recharging is filling up your emotional gas tank. It’s doing something that gives you energy again.
Watching TV doesn’t give me enough of this. I think it provides some for me, but it’s not enough to return me to my happy-go-lucky state. As an extrovert, I have to spend time with people. I think short encounters of an hour or two with small groups of people usually is enough to keep me going, but with the craziness of the Greek intensive, I’ve been a little off balance with the recharging. I’ve only recently been able to define a need for it that, in retrospect, has always been there. Now I just need to be intentional about it.
I inadvertently discovered the need for it after a trip to The Happiest Place on Earth, that’s right, Disneyland. I love going to the resort by myself. I mean I love going with a group of people, but sometimes, I just need to go and be there by myself and run around like a little kid. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want with no plan whatsoever. Sometimes I have a mental checklist of some things that would be fun to do, but still no real plan. I stopped by a week and a half ago after a Sunday afternoon Ducks game (the park is open till midnight on weekends, score!). It was my 18th visit since moving here in June (yes, I keep count) and I just needed a break. The Ducks game was a lot of fun, but even it hadn’t really recharged me.
After a couple of hours of walking around the park, doing some shopping, grabbing a bite to eat, visiting ElecTRONica (which I recommend) I went home. Monday, I woke up feeling refreshed. It was, honestly, the best Monday I’d had since the beginning of the quarter. I did well on my quiz, I was inspired to invite people over for dinner and I cooked for them (my first ever attempt at baked ziti that turned out great). It was much different from any of the 5 or 6 previous Mondays.
There are other things that recharge me, sure. Catalyst West did much of the same at the end of last week. I think there’s something strange that happens in seminary. You spend so much time talking about God, Jesus and the Bible that you have to balance it out with something else. Academic talk about Christianity seems to be lacking something spiritual. I usually find that in my community of friends.
When I tell people that I sometimes go to Disneyland by myself, they just don’t get how I could have fun doing that. Yet, I do. I really do. It recharges me.