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"One of the things I did over my high school reunion weekend (and visit to my beautiful home state) was think. I mean, I had a lot of time to just plain think. No kids, no house that needed cleaning, no stack of bills on my kitchen counter, no cats walking across my keyboard....I just had to sit back, stare at the beautiful scenery and really think about what I wanted out of life. The big, resounding message I took away from my weekend is that I really, really, I mean really need to do more stuff for just me. It doesn&amp;#039;t make sense that I put myself constantly on a backburner, waiting for the day when I have time or energy or motivation to do something that&amp;#039;ll make me feel better. It stands to reason I&amp;#039;ll be a better mom, a better worker, a better friend - just plain better - if I make the time for me a little more often. Today, I came across this article about Hawaii (which is definitely on my bucket list) and 5 Hawaiian Words To Redefine Health, Happiness and Power in your life. They&amp;#039;re all great, but word number three (Aina, or &amp;quot;land&amp;quot;) really rang out for me, especially after rediscovering the beauty of my home state all over again. Hawaiians believe in reconnecting with the land, with nature on a daily basis. And as the article reaffirms, just thirty minutes a day in the great outdoors can significantly lower stress. So here&amp;#039;s the first thing I&amp;#039;m doing for me. I&amp;#039;m going outside. Whether that&amp;#039;s a stroll around the block after dinner with the kids, or walking in a nearby park during my lunchbreak, or driving to the beach for the day on a kid-free weekend and putting my toes in the sand, I&amp;#039;m getting out there in the fresh air and sunshine and I&amp;#039;m doing it every day. If it rains, I&amp;#039;ll put on my boots and splash in some puddles. I need to remove myself from my cubicle walls and my closed car doors and my living room and I need to do it daily.  Do you get outside every day? Do you think it makes a big difference? [Follow Ellie on Twitter and Facebook] "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/a46670/do-things-just-for-me/>