go.. and don't look at your emails...
I'm not going to lie, adjusting back to reality since we returned from our vacation has been a bit rough. Last week, I was exhausted and this week is dragging. I don't understand why the work week can't pass as quickly as the time off does. And realizing that we have 3 months left before Annabeth joins us has been a harsh reality check. I have really surprised myself during this pregnancy by being, what I like to think of as, the most "chill" first time mom ever. In fact, I may be a little too chill for my own good. I've really taken my time/put things off/underestimated a lot of "tasks," but you know what, Annabeth will never know (until she reads this one day). Today, my cousin asked me if I had found a baby book yet so I could record guests and gifts for upcoming showers, and thank goodness she said something because the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I ordered a book tonight knowing full well that pregnancy brain would kick in, and if I didn't do it right now, I'd forget and resort to using the work notepad tucked into my purse.
You guys know how much I love traveling and making new memories. Every year of my life, I have gone on a vacation. I'm not talking about a long weekend to visit Grandma's house. I mean at least a week of time away doing something completely out of the norm. And even if it was to a repeat place, new experiences were had. And so every year after vacation is over, I begin thinking about where to go next. Life's too short to never venture away from home. There are too many good things to see, too many fun places to go, and too many cool encounters to have that it's worth the time and money to get away.
Listen, you probably need to hear this. Go on a vacation! That's right! Go! Get out of town and get away from work. Take a break from your every day responsibilities and have fun. Isn't that what "vacation" time is for? Isn't that why your employer gives you a few days a year to take off? I know it seems like that world may stop spinning if you're out of pocket, but I'll tell you a little secret, it won't. Life will go on. Your co-workers will show up to work without you, and they'll get the work done. Your family will survive without your presence for a few days. If you're worried about the bills, about the laundry, about the emails or the dirty house, you can relax because it won't go anywhere while you're gone. Nope, those things will all be waiting for you upon your return, just where you left them. But you know what won't be waiting for you? Time. Time doesn't care how busy you are or how many vacation days you have. In fact, time will try to steal your vacation days from you. Time will say things like, "You're too busy to get away. You need to stay here and do more! You need to repaint the house. You need to clean out the closets. You need to overwork yourself rather than relax because you'll get so behind you'll never catch up!" But time doesn't know the truth. All time thinks about is the future, not the present. And so time won't slow down for you. Time won't encourage you to get away. Time will restrain you, time will tie you down, and time will stress you out.
And so it's up to you. Don't let time run your life. Manage time, and you tell time that you're the one in charge because this is your life and you've only got one opportunity to enjoy it. Plan a vacation. Take off. Tell the people you love that you love them so much that you'll have dinner when them when you're back from vacation so you can catch up and swap stories. Tell your co-workers that they're awesome and you really enjoy working with them but for the next week you're going to enjoy every minute of being away from the office. Tell them that you trust them to keep things going in your absence, and then actually let them do their jobs. Tell your diet you'll get back to it next week when delicious food ins't surrounding you, and let the treadmill know that a week of separation might do you both some good. And above all else, tell your phone that it can stay in your back pocket. Don't look at your email. Don't! I repeat - do not do this! I made the mistake of taking 5 minutes to check my email on a little walking break during the first full day of our vacation, and within 5 minutes I was already feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I decided to stick to my original plan and let my out-of-office reply do the talking for me, and I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed not knowing what was going on at work.
Take some time off. You need it! We all need it. You work hard at whatever you do, and even if you don't work hard at what you do, you still need to get away. You need to see the world. You need to experience new things and make new memories. Because time gets away, the days are short, and the years fly by. Don't miss the opportunity to relax and have fun. Trust me, it'll do you a world of good, and you'll never regret taking making the time to build new memories.
You guys know how much I love traveling and making new memories. Every year of my life, I have gone on a vacation. I'm not talking about a long weekend to visit Grandma's house. I mean at least a week of time away doing something completely out of the norm. And even if it was to a repeat place, new experiences were had. And so every year after vacation is over, I begin thinking about where to go next. Life's too short to never venture away from home. There are too many good things to see, too many fun places to go, and too many cool encounters to have that it's worth the time and money to get away.
Listen, you probably need to hear this. Go on a vacation! That's right! Go! Get out of town and get away from work. Take a break from your every day responsibilities and have fun. Isn't that what "vacation" time is for? Isn't that why your employer gives you a few days a year to take off? I know it seems like that world may stop spinning if you're out of pocket, but I'll tell you a little secret, it won't. Life will go on. Your co-workers will show up to work without you, and they'll get the work done. Your family will survive without your presence for a few days. If you're worried about the bills, about the laundry, about the emails or the dirty house, you can relax because it won't go anywhere while you're gone. Nope, those things will all be waiting for you upon your return, just where you left them. But you know what won't be waiting for you? Time. Time doesn't care how busy you are or how many vacation days you have. In fact, time will try to steal your vacation days from you. Time will say things like, "You're too busy to get away. You need to stay here and do more! You need to repaint the house. You need to clean out the closets. You need to overwork yourself rather than relax because you'll get so behind you'll never catch up!" But time doesn't know the truth. All time thinks about is the future, not the present. And so time won't slow down for you. Time won't encourage you to get away. Time will restrain you, time will tie you down, and time will stress you out.
And so it's up to you. Don't let time run your life. Manage time, and you tell time that you're the one in charge because this is your life and you've only got one opportunity to enjoy it. Plan a vacation. Take off. Tell the people you love that you love them so much that you'll have dinner when them when you're back from vacation so you can catch up and swap stories. Tell your co-workers that they're awesome and you really enjoy working with them but for the next week you're going to enjoy every minute of being away from the office. Tell them that you trust them to keep things going in your absence, and then actually let them do their jobs. Tell your diet you'll get back to it next week when delicious food ins't surrounding you, and let the treadmill know that a week of separation might do you both some good. And above all else, tell your phone that it can stay in your back pocket. Don't look at your email. Don't! I repeat - do not do this! I made the mistake of taking 5 minutes to check my email on a little walking break during the first full day of our vacation, and within 5 minutes I was already feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I decided to stick to my original plan and let my out-of-office reply do the talking for me, and I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed not knowing what was going on at work.
Take some time off. You need it! We all need it. You work hard at whatever you do, and even if you don't work hard at what you do, you still need to get away. You need to see the world. You need to experience new things and make new memories. Because time gets away, the days are short, and the years fly by. Don't miss the opportunity to relax and have fun. Trust me, it'll do you a world of good, and you'll never regret taking making the time to build new memories.
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