It’s been a long week full of breaking news, Russell Stover’s chocolates, doctor’s appointments and freezing, windy weather. But finally, we made it through to the weekend!

On Valentine’s, Jon and I drove to a city park to photograph the sunset. After setting up the tripod atop a rocky outcrop, we sat side-by-side on a wooden railing waiting for our camera to take a series of continuous photos. Despite the cold, watching the orange sky darken to blue was a good way to unwind and take time for ourselves. The park was quiet, and simply seeing the sun go down for 30 minutes brought me a sense of peace. As we watched the distant movements of the port and the tiny airplanes taking off, we felt like observers far outside the busy world. I’ve forgotten how important it is to find relief from stress, to focus on one thing at a time, and to enjoy moments of silence.

While lying on the heated table at my acupuncturist’s yesterday, I tried to quiet my mind from the continuous thoughts bouncing around my head like a trampoline gym. The new age music helped a bit, and I allowed the sound of space chimes to relax me further into the face cradle. The needles scattered around my back and arms helped to release tension in my neck and trapezius, where I carry all my stress. I can’t say that I found an inner quiet exactly, but taking thirty minutes to lie still in a dark room is always a good thing. I got up from the table, as I always do, with lines crisscrossing my face – proof that I did, in fact, relax.

And so, I hope you find a few quiet places this weekend to find peace, organize your thoughts, and clear out all the information in your head that’s likely bubbling over. Even if your break is just for a few minutes, or the length of a silent sunset, may it provide a good reset for the week ahead.