Back in the 80s, one of my favorite girl bands came out with an album called Vacation. I’m of course talking about The Go-Go’s. The lyrics to one of their best loved songs read, “Vacation– all I ever wanted! Vacation– had to get away!” After a grueling year of travel, working weekends, and fitting into a new company, I’m so ready to take a few days off. And all I want to think about is nothing. Well, more like Jerry Seinfeld’s definition of nothing. It’s something, but it’s nothing. Get it? I want to grocery shop at a leisurely pace! I want to sleep past 7am!
I want to get reacquainted with my living room couch Barney instead of my living room workstation! I want to go shopping in my closet and be a little creative putting outfits together and having a bedroom fashion show. I want to clean out my kitchen junk drawer. I need my favorite boots resoled. I’d like to spend a few minutes reevaluating my bathmats. I don’t just want a vacation. I want a staycation! I want my work/life balance to tip back over into life/work.
I had to have an MRI recently of my lower back. And I ended up telling the technician that those 15 minutes inside the tube with the not quite noise cancelling headphones were actually the most relaxing part of my day. Scary, right? Yeah, I know. With just so much whirling around in all of our heads, when do we make time to relax?
I find myself making general lists, and to-do lists, and then priority lists with certain things circled and highlighted and stapling together travel documents and conference registrations to car rental confirmations and hotel print outs. And those last few populate yellow file folders stacked up in chronological order for easy access. Just thinking about all those post-its and sharpies makes me want to take a deep, cleansing breath… and then be right back at it.
When I think about the ideal schedule for myself, it would probably be three days on and one day off to recover/regroup/recharge. I know I don’t actually have this option, but it’s a dream, so I go with it. I’d still have my two days off, but the pace wouldn’t be quite so hectic. This is never going to happen, but I’m big on manifesting, so you never know!
I do have quite a few days of vacation left for this year and I’m hoping things quiet down just a tad so that I can squeeze in some mindful silverware reorganization and a massive refolding of the linen closet. So as much as I need a vacation, in this case I don’t want to get away. Dorothy Gale said it best when she exclaimed, “There’s no place like home.” And you have to trust a girl who has such great shoes!
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