V is for Vacation ~ The need to get away

Is it sad that when I think of the word vacation I hear Belinda Carlisle singing “Vacation. All I ever wanted. Vacation have to get away.” And then I see the Go-Go’s video for the song run through my mind. I’d make you all miserable with me and link up a You Tube video but I couldn’t find a legal version of the official video and I wasn’t happy with the live versions of the song.  Go on and thank me. I’ve spared your ears. You’re welcome.

Back to Vacation.  I don’t just want one.  I think I need one. It seems the older my children get, the more busy our lives become and I feel like everything is just GoGoGoGo (no not the Go Gos  even though I did mention them already and I do like them but that’s a blog post for another day.)

When I think of vacations, I think of travelling to a different location and of staying in hotels and eating in restaurants. I think of visiting museums or parks.  I think of spending time with family that lives so far away. Childhood vacations were the time we went from Minnesota to Kentucky to visit my grandparents and so many of my Dad’s relatives. Vacation makes me think of trips to Disney World or to the coastal beaches like Hawaii. That’s how I define a “real” vacation.

Last week I needed a break. A real vacation would be lovely but no time for that. I took a few hours when the house was nice and quiet and I took a break. I refused to do any lesson planning. I did not do any grading. I did not even open up LiveWriter to do any blogging. I made a huge mug full of tea, grabbed my Kindle, sat in my rocking chair and read. For hours.  It was refreshing. I felt so much better mentally for taking time to truly relax.

I don’t mean escape. I don’t mean avoid.  I don’t mean procrastination. I do those things often. Reading as a means of avoidance knowing that I am just putting off the work that I need to do, does not provide me with the renewing I need to complete those tasks.

I still want, perhaps even need, a vacation. In my Random Thoughts post I mentioned learning my lesson and planning on setting aside more time for me. More time to read a book, or take a nap, or play a game or anything that I want to do that isn’t task driven. Something that I want to do; not something that I need to do.

I would love a weekend getaway.  I’m thinking a weekend getaway later this fall sounds like a perfect way to celebrate a wedding anniversary. It also sounds like a great reward for staying on task and getting my list of “to dos” completed.

Vacation time is important. Even God took a day to rest.  Sometimes, I think we over schedule ourselves and fail to rest. The things, in and of themselves, are not bad. Some are quite necessary. Some are fun.  But in the hustle and bustle of life today, I need to get away. I need a vacation day every now and again.

 

Check out this week’s letter!