Watching “The Angels Take Manhattan” yesterday morning (it’s the half term holiday here for the children so mornings have been quite relaxed this week!) The Doctor ripped the last page from his book, telling Amy that he does that because he hates endings.

I’m sure most people do of course. If it’s the ending of something or someone wonderful, who wants to help speed that along?

Contrast that though with the celebration that is the weekend.

Every single week we celebrate the end of one week. Congratulations, you made it through. Time to slow down and chill out a little bit.

We do the same thing on a larger scale at the end of the year. I think it’s no small coincidence that the date adopted to celebrate Christmas comes when it does.

As one of my friends in New Zealand tells me, Christmas in the summer just isn’t the same.

And sure, part of that might just be because she’s from the northern hemisphere originally. She grew up with Christmas in winter and anything else just feels weird.

(Incidentally, if you’re from the southern hemisphere, born and bred, I’d love to hear your take on this. Send me an email and tell me. Thank you x)

But there is something wonderful about taking time out, slowing down and enjoying time with friends and family, right at the very end of the year.

Every culture across history had its feast and festival days. Making time for fun and celebration, along with a good dose of thankfulness, is just a part of what it means to be human.

Maybe that’s what the resting on the 7th day was really about?

God knew we’d have a tendency to rush at life and so he built in a safety valve. A day where we could just be.

My husband works shifts and as such, his ‘weekend’ often falls on a Tuesday and Wednesday but whatever day it is, we all need that breathing room.

If you’re an entrepreneur, especially if you’re an entrepreneur with small children, there’s a good chance that you use the weekend to play catch up. Maybe there’s someone else around to help with the kids at the weekend and so you’re able to throw yourself into work.

I’m not knocking that. It can be the most productive time of the week for some people.

Remember though that, whatever day of the week it falls on, you really need time this week, and every week, to step back and just be.

It’s good for your health and your relationships. It’s even good for business. But most of all, taking time to just be is what makes us human.

Take your foot off the gas a little. Read a book. Have an extra coffee over breakfast. Whatever slowing down looks like for you, our challenge for today is to remember to do it, not just nod along because it’s a great idea but we don’t have the time.

If you’re brand new to slowing down, just try it for a few minutes. You don’t have to make any big, bold declarations. Just take 5 minutes and see how that goes for you.

Go on, I dare you 😉