Freshly Squeezed

Awhile back I was walking toward my car and caught a glimpse of stacked boxes once filled with oranges.  They were used for the freshly squeezed orange juice they had on their menu.  Freshly squeezed, now there's a blog post, I thought.  I began to think about how day in and day out there are little things that just make me feel that kind of tension. The tension of having to just squeeze out a little bit more of the good stuff out of me when I feel like I'm down to my last drop. It's so much better to handle being squeezed when I'm refreshed!
Everything from not forgetting the lunch money for the kids, washing underwear because everyone's about out, forgetting my dog at the groomers (yes, it's happened) not because I wanted to but because life just gets so busy and chaotic sometimes that I plain just get swept away in the details of something else that I forget to look at my watch.  Thankfully, my dog groomer was forgiving and waited after closing time for me to pick up my beloved fluffy old man of a dog. 
Sometimes I work 8 days straight without a day off, I have to get up in the middle of the night and go to someone's house because their loved one has passed away...then get up and still be at work at eight o'clock the next morning in ironed clothes and combed hair.  Sometimes, I cry along with the families....watching a mother bury her child or a spouse that has lost their best friend for over 50 years and now they are just lost without them, going to a hospital to pick up an infant while others are rejoicing over their blessed births, seeing lives being taken by cancer, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's, special needs, drug overdoses, car accidents, suicides, the list goes on and on...well this can all just weigh a little bit. I love my job...don't get me wrong...I love serving families and friends...but I have found that I can only be my best when I am freshly squeezed. This goes for my personal life as well.  I'm a better mom and wife if I just can get a little break every now and then. 
What does this mean for me? This means...having a sense of humor.  Most of you that know me know that my sense of humor is a little nuts so to speak...it's a great escape though.  This means...taking a few days off and just doing a few things for myself in conjunction with the catching up with the things I need to get done in my personal life...hence finally catching up on the laundry and bathing the dog. This means loving on my family and friends.  A great night of bunco always helps or even lunch with a friend!  A great night at the movies with you and your teenage daughter laughing at all the parts that are supposed to be serious helps.  A call from my sisters telling me about their daily adventures, drinking coffee, planning a little getaway, and reading a good book...these are things that always help me.
So, when it comes time to face the challenges of work and life...I feel like I'm able to be freshly squeezed. The people I love and serve are able to get the good stuff down to my last drop. Have you taken some time out of the craziness of your life to re-energize yourself, refresh yourself, and regroup yourself in order to be freshly squeezed?  Don't forget to do so.  I think we're all a little more tolerable and more valuable when we do. That's why freshly squeezed is a little higher than the concentrate. You're worth it.