Stretched.

Have you ever seen an old rubber band? The kind that is a little bit discolored, maybe even gray around the edges, possibly with holes starting to form here and there. You can stretch that rubber band and almost see it working, straining to meet the demands you are putting on it. Those little holes becoming a little bit bigger. The gray edges peeling off. The line of the rubber band becoming ever thinner, sometimes so thin you can barely even see it.

And one of two things will happen. The rubber band will find a way to keep stretching and wrap itself around whatever you are using it for. It bounces back. It holds it together.

Or. The rubber band will snap.

Sometimes I feel like that old rubber band. Stretched. Trying to figure out how to stretch a little bit further and wrap myself a little bit stronger around whatever it is I am trying to do or balance or manage. How do I keep the holes from growing any bigger? How do I keep my rubber-band-shape so I can still do the job I am supposed to do and contract back? How do I recover when I am stretched a little bit too thin?

If I were my own best friend I would tell myself it is time to take care of yourself. If you are ever feeling like office supplies and comparing yourself to a grimy, old rubber band it is probably time to figure out what you need to do to put a little oomph back in the proverbial tank.

Take a walk. Do yoga. Meditate. Sleep. Eat well. Shower. Take a bath. Read. Cook. Meet up with a friend. Draw. Paint. Build something. Write. Break something. Plant. Bake. Have coffee. Have tea. Nap. Be still. Run. Hike. Camp. Get outside. Swim. See the sun. See the stars. Make a wish. Pray. Laugh. Laugh with a child. Get a massage. Get a facial. Clean. Deep clean. Cleanse.

I hope you are not feeling like a stretched rubber band. But in case you are, I hope something above speaks to you, and you find your way back to a calmer, saner you.