I remember going to visit my sister, who lives near Sequoia National Park. At the time, my life had become very stressful, and she wanted me to experience the magnificence of simply taking a walk through the trees and just being.

I had been recovering from an injury, caring for my elderly mom, and helping with my grandkids. I was exhausted. Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten about me. I had put so much of myself into helping and caring for everyone else that I had forgotten what it felt like to simply stop, breathe, and take care of myself.

That walk was filled with beauty, laughter, and a connection with these magnificent beings. Stepping into the giant sequoias felt almost like stepping into a fairy tale from long ago. With every step I took, I could feel the presence of the trees and the gentle energy they seemed to be sharing.

It was peaceful, grounding, and imaginative. I felt free. I felt like I was home.

As we walked, we began noticing faces in the trees, which fascinated us. It felt as though the trees were revealing little pieces of themselves as we passed. We stopped along the way, connected within our hearts, and quietly shared our love with them.

At several magnificent trees, we would stop as the sunlight peered between the branches, illuminating everything in its path and allowing us to see it in a different way. We would simply stand there and breathe, connect, and say thank you for sharing such incredible beauty with us, while sending our love and gratitude in return.

At one particular spot, we both felt drawn to take a few pictures. It was almost as if we were guided to take them at that exact moment. When we looked at the photographs, we had captured beautiful reflections of light that seemed almost angelic.

There was an incredible presence in that place. It felt angelic. We were both smiling and feeling wonderful, completely caught up in the moment. Whatever we experienced there that day, it definitely left an imprint on both of us.

We continued walking, but now we were really seeing the trees. We looked closely at their bark and noticed the beautiful patterns and what appeared to us as sacred geometric designs woven into them. We weren’t simply walking past and seeing trees anymore. We were paying attention to these incredible living beings.

We stopped and hugged a few of them, and in our own way, we could feel them hugging us back.

At one point, my sister got us a little lost while trying to find the General Sherman Tree. We walked about half a mile farther than we needed to before realizing we had missed our turn. We laughed, turned around, and started walking back.

But had we not taken that little detour, we wouldn’t have seen all the other magnificent trees along our path. We wouldn’t have experienced those particular moments or shared all that laughter because of a simple missed turn.

Sometimes the detour becomes part of the experience.

Finally, we made it to General Sherman. We sat on a bench and simply breathed, taking in the peacefulness of that incredible place. I felt calm, peaceful, and surrounded by something that felt deeply loving. It was an memorable day.

There had been no true agenda. We were simply being, connecting back with nature one step at a time.

We are surrounded by so much life, sometimes we become so busy that we stop noticing it. Sometimes all it takes is slowing down, breathing, opening our eyes, and really seeing what has been right in front of us all along.

You never know where a detour or missed turn might lead you. What we perceive can shape what we believe, and sometimes changing the way we look at something allows us to see possibilities we couldn’t see before.

On that beautiful day with my sister, I remembered how to slow down, breathe, and appreciate what was around me.

But I also remembered something else. I was important too. I count. I matter.

I think sometimes we forget ourselves. We become so busy caring for other people, meeting responsibilities, and getting through whatever life has placed before us that we forget to make room for ourselves.

But when we make time to do something for ourselves, even something very simple, we can begin opening doors within ourselves that we couldn’t see before.

So when you are exhausted, give yourself permission to do something that brings you joy. It doesn’t have to be a grand adventure. Maybe it’s sitting down and watching a movie, taking a drive, spending some time at the beach, drinking a cup of tea while reading a good book, walking among the trees, or going somewhere with your best friend.

You get the idea.

Sometimes we need the freedom to simply be ourselves and take care of ourselves.

Life is beautiful and messy. It has its highs and its lows, and somewhere within all of it, we learn, we feel, and we heal.

So breathe.

Look around you.

Enjoy the day.

And remember to take time out for you.