Perhaps nothing could be more American that titling a piece of writing with a Coca-Cola slogan. Such are the times in which we live. It’s a good slogan – certainly good enough for the Co-Cola company for nearly a century, and good enough to convince Norman Rockwell to paint for the soft drink behemoth – so you’ll forgive me for adopting it here.
The “out West” vacation was, quite simply, fantastic. There were roadside adventures, a few in-town shenanigans, time spent with those I love, with a few snippets on my own for unexpected naps and occasional pondering. It really doesn’t get much better than that for me. I leapt into a nearly-too-cold lake (and quickly scrambled out), found new boots, discovered the delightful weirdness of the Idaho Potato Museum (where they deliver on their promise of “free taters for out-of-staters!”), attended a Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed costume party, painted a bit, saw bald eagles in the wild, mostly ate vegetarian, and other adventures besides. And it’s quite good to be home again. I hope I have changed for the better for taking this trip – all travel has that possibility and I hope to continue to grow throughout my time on this earth. It’s easy – and often reinforced and rewarded – to get caught up in daily worklife concerns and forget that magic that can be found in simple delights, like listening to Frank Sinatra croon or sitting still with your own thoughts, if we’ll only take the time to pay attention. I firmly believe we’d be better off as a society if we all used some time to do the things that genuinely bring us joy on a regular basis.
We make a crucial mistake when we fall prey to the theory that we can multitask, so it’s okay to bring the laptop on vacation. No. (And this is coming from someone who has done that plenty of times, along with checking work email at truly odd hours of the day and night justincase.) Have your head be where your feet are. If you spend the time half-and-half, you’re never truly going to unlock and you’ll come back from your break nearly as tense as you were when you left. Be willing to draw some hard lines – this is work, so let it be work. And over here, this is home and family. Having those boundaries – and sticking to them! – will allow you to truly have a respite and therefore, you’ll return to your workaday life far more relaxed and focused.
I really suggest you give it a try, Divas.
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