TBD 52: Time for vay-cay, okay?
For the first week of July, my son was in a mountain biking program in Tahoe. We decided to go with him and stay while he was biking for the week. Maybe you’re picturing an AirBnB or a nice hotel. Maybe a cute cabin in the woods. Maybe a resort or a lodge?
Nope, we literally parked our RV in front of our friend’s house.
Beverly Hillbilly style.
We haven’t done many RV trips and our RV isn’t one of those gorgeous #Vanlife situations. She’s a 1999 monster. It’s like stepping back 20+ years into a not-quite-cool-enough to be vintage environment. It’s dated, a little beat up and has some unmistakable scents of a 25 year old RV.
But you know what? It was super fun to just have a simple, small space to ourselves for 6 days. We hiked, we swam, we cooked simple meals and tried to stay as covid safe as possible. I brought along a stack of books for my kids and read aloud to them every night (they can both read, but they enjoy hearing a book together).
It was a break I didn’t know I needed.
The forced simplicity. The quiet. The cold lake. Some friends from the biking community scattered throughout. No plans, no crowds, very little dining out.
Recharging is an important part of being able to stay motivated, clear minded and connected to yourself. I think we often underestimate the benefits of taking a break, unplugging and stepping away from your wifi signal.
Over my career, I’ve concocted different kinds of breaks beyond a traditional “vacation”. Partly because I often find that a traditional vacation isn’t very relaxing (planning, airports, jet lag…) . Sometimes I didn’t have many vacation days. Or I had young children that don’t really enjoy traveling (anyone relate? Coming home and needing a vacation from your vacation?)
Summer hasn’t drawn to a close yet. If you haven’t gotten a break, consider planning some downtime before the frenzy of fall is upon us.
A wise friend told me: Never return from vacation without your next vacation on the books. A regular rhythm of breaks is helpful.
Alternative breaks:
PJs All Day
Try it. This is magical. It’s easy and feels luxurious. Do it weekly as a reset for your family or for yourself.
Tech Sabbath
I had written about his awhile ago, but taking a break from screens, social media and your phone can be a huge recharge. It's a little daunting at first (What will we DO?) but soon you'll look forward to the screen-free space.
Solo vacation
My friend Sarah S. sends out an annual Mothers’ Day reminder that a perfect gift for mom is a night in a hotel room. Alone. Even a night away to get extra sleep, extract yourself from the grind can be recharging.
Organized Retreat or Workshop
There are so many retreats and workshops are organized by coaches, yoga studios, artists and more. My friend recently went to Costa Rica solo on an organized trip for women. All she had to do was sign up and show up! The rest was taken care of.
House swap
I’m lucky to have in-laws that live in a cute town near the coast. Whenever they are out of town, they offer their place to us. The change of scenery and the comfort of being in a familiar place is always a welcome refuge. It's easy, we can always change our plans at the last minute, and recently we’ve been happy to return the favor.
Series of Four Day Workweeks
Call them summer hours or just dialing back for a few weeks, but a few consecutive four day workweeks can shift the balance. If your job means cramming 5 days of work into 4 days you might wait until the end of a project or a time when others are taking vacation to give yourself the break.
Just Use Your Vacation Days - Really.
“I’m meeting myself where I am instead of trying to out-hustle my life.”
Podcast Recommendation
Related to rest, you might want to check out A Drop in the Bucket. My dear friend, Anjuli Sherin was recently a guest talking about "what resilience is - and what it isn't - and some of the reasons it can feel so hard to be resilient, especially in adolescence and early adulthood and what we might have to unlearn later in life." Link here.