Self-Care is Name of the Game

Greg Maddux, Cy Young and Golden Glove Winner

Call it:  The Maddux Move 

I will never forget the 7th inning of an Atlanta Braves' game. Greg Maddux, the all stars all star, was moving them down from the mound. Never over powering, always on target with perfect control--the players called him "professor" because of the geeky appearance with thick black glasses.  At one time, Maddux earned around $3500 per pitch.   So it was the 7th inning, and Maddux had 2 strikes on the batter, when suddenly he stopped, stepped off the mound and motioned to the dug-out.  So out came the manager and trainer--and soon Maddux himself left the game.  Nothing apparently wrong!  Later on, I read in the paper that his arm just did not feel right--so he stopped right in the middle of one batter and took himself out. 

What does it take to take yourself out of "the old ball game?"  When do you realize that there is something wrong so that you need to stop then and there? 

I was driving my boys to Maine from Atlanta in a big old loaded down Suburban--a land yacht. I looked down at the thermostat--a routine glance--and it was in the red zone.  How long?  Who knows.  But that is the danger zone and if you burn out your engine if you don't pull over right at the moment---no next exit--just stop! 

How long do we travel down the road of our lives without checking the dials, those vital stats? 

Recently, I hit that place where I was over-saturated with too much stuff--the work, the emotions, the reaching out to the point of being blind to self.  It was time to go to the dug out....to pull over....and to spend a day in self-care:  just being, breathing in the day and touching your humanity. 

The Native Americans used to journey for several days.  They would then stop because they said they needed to allow their spirits to catch up.  Or, to breathe in  the Holy Spirit to revive the human spirit. 

How well do you know yourself to take yourself out of the game?

How often do you check the gauges in your life to know when to pull over?

How long have you hiked without letting your spirit catch up?

God only knows....and so should we.