Rest

Resting in the Cape house garden.

I’m on vacation right now. Sometimes, we don’t know how hard and fast we’re going until we stop. We flew out to Massachusetts to visit my in-laws and they took our kids in while James and I went to Cape Cod for the weekend…by ourselves.

As soon as we walked in through the vacation house doors, the stress and weariness I didn’t know I had been carrying from juggling a full-time job, writing, two kids, a social life, a marriage, etc., melted off my back and seeped into the hardwood floors, which recycled into an atmosphere of rest.

I’ve unplugged from my phone and email and forgotten about the existence of time. There’s nowhere I have to be, nowhere I have to go. If I feel like going on a walk, I do. If I feel like napping, I do.

Of course, I want my entire life to be like this but here’s the catch. It’s precisely because my life is so full and busy that I’m able to cherish this time away like the rare gem it is. The contrast is what leads to the intense gratitude.

I’m tempted to take a bunch of photos. Like yesterday, we dined on the outdoor patio of a clam shack and split a plate of fried clams and a lobster roll. Or when we swam in the ocean. Taking photos briefly takes me out of the moment though. And I don’t want to be out of the moment, even for just a moment.

Tomorrow, James and I will return to our kids and join the rest of his family for a week of fun outings and dinner parties. That is it’s own gift as well.

But right now, here I am. Wow.

Do you have any summer getaways planned? If not, can you arrange a small weekend away somewhere nearby? And, in regards to that vacation, consider a few small tweaks to make it feel like true rest (e.g. unplug, try not to have a to-do list, wrap up all of your work duties before you go on vacation so that it doesn’t nag you, bring a light, uplifting book instead of a heavy one. What are some of your ideas?).