So, let's start at the beginning ... what exactly is a stay-cation?
To the best of my knowledge it is when you take a vacation while staying home, thus the stay in the stay-cation.
Now, I have had plenty of weekends to myself but this was the first 80 hours I knew were going to happen ahead of time & had a loose agenda for.
The day after Christmas my husband (the fireman) & my two wonderful children loaded up into the commuter car & headed over the pass. The kids were dropped off with their Auntie while hubby headed to work (for a 3 day stretch).
What bliss!
I walked through the now empty house (except for the dog & the cat) & promptly went right back to bed. Did I mention they had to leave at 5 am?
I was back up at 7 & cleaning the kitchen. Not because I had to get it ready for breakfast, but because I was quite excited to see it stay clean!
I then headed to my office where I had planned to spend most of this stay-cation working on projects that have little tolerance for interruptions.
I found a few things to be true through this weekend...
- My "read it someday" pile wasn't as interesting as I had thought
- Interruptions still happen
- The dog & cat loose their patience for one another after about 24 hours without the kids
- I have a new found respect for my teenager when he suits up & snow-blows the driveway
- Whoever created the 'break, bake & serve' brick at Nestle is a genius!
- I can sit through 2 chick flicks in one night
- I forget to eat when I don't have others sharing their hunger pangs with me
- Meanwhile, I can live on mini cookies (freshly baked) & Yogi tea
- My kitchen CAN stay clean longer than 3 hours
But most importantly...
- When all the glasses are clean in our house - they don't all fit in the cupboard!
As usual, I haven't gotten as much done as I would have liked.
However, this quiet time wasn't about checking off the to-do list as much as it was about renewing my own sense of inner peace.
I know when the door opens tomorrow to reveal my 3 missing housemates I will hug & kiss them like crazy, listen to their adventures from the weekend longer than usual and just feel a sense of being whole again. Understanding that the ability to feel so complete began with me taking care of myself first.
For many of you, (especially my clients) you've heard me say how important it is to fill up your own gas tank ... I thought this week I would share my experience as a way to lead by example.
Whether you can take a whole chunk of 80 hours or you find your "me-time" in 10 minute increments I hope this has inspired you to carve out the time & enter the new year rejuvenated!
april
Posts
