Patterns fill our lives, from our regular routine in the morning to how we get to work to how we spend our time each day. Nature also has its patterns and the patterns that tend to dominate our lives ‘weather’. We listen to the forecasts, dress accordingly to what is said, smile or grumble depending on what kind of day it is, cover every part of our body with wool coats, scarves, hates, gloves if we live in a ‘cold’ climate in the winter.

This midwest winter season has been brutal, with frequent snow falling, followed by drops in temperatures below zero. Schools close. Cars stop. Sidewalks are slippery. It takes a lot of energy just to get from place to place safely.

So it was a wonderful opportunity I had to fly out of the deep freeze of Chicago to the Dominican Republic for a week. First time at a resort on the beach, surrounded by the deep blues of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Feeling the gentle breezes, listening to the waves lap up on the beach, walking in the fine, white sand that doesn’t get hot, eating fresh papaya and mango daily, reading a good book, were all luxuries that I don’t take for granted. How fortunate I feel, not only to change my routine, but to be in the best of nature and just ‘be’. It was refreshing and rejuvenating.

Now the challenge is to find ways to refresh and replenish my energy while managing through cold days and slippery streets and sidewalks. My Tai Chi helps. It takes me into the moment, stops the routine, clears the head.

And, the pictures from my week by the beautiful waters and gently swaying palm trees will aid in feeling once again, the calmness and beauty of nature at its best. We all need to find those ways to replenish and renew energy, by getting away or by staying right where we are.