It’s Okay to Take a Break

Have you ever dreamed of taking a vacation to an island with white sand beaches, crystal clear blue waters, cool, refreshing drinks, and steel-drum music? Ever wanted to get away from it all and just ... be? Honestly, I’ve thought about it numerous times, and recently, I did it. Last month, I enjoyed an amazing 14-day cruise through the Caribbean. What a fabulous time I had ... which is why I haven’t posted anything in a month. 

One day I decided to write at poolside.

At the onset of my cruise, I planned to write a little something each day (I’m a writer, after all!), read a book I’d been holding onto for just such an ocassion, and, of course, get some much-needed rest from the busy-ness of my life. Well, I can honestly say that I did only one of the above tasks. That’s right, I rested. Each time I thought about writing something, the sparkle of the waters caught my attention, and I simply stared into the deep blue ocean. Each time I reached into my bag to pull out the book, I decided that it wasn’t time to begin reading. “I’ll read tomorrow,” I’d tell myself. And so, I simply rested. 

Oh, I did things on the cruise ship -- toured the bridge and the galley, ate, exercised in the fitness room, ate, participated in a table tennis tournament, ate, touched up my tan near the swimming pool, ate, watched a few movies, and even ... ate. If you’ve ever cruised, you know it’s all about the food! Of course, I did some fun stuff while in the eight ports I visited -- zip lined, snorkeled, shopped, and toured. It was all a load of fun. 

Well, after all of that sunning, funning, and eating, I just didn’t have the desire to do anything else. A few days into the trip I felt rather guilty. I mean, really, how could I have let so many days pass without writing one word? It was so unlike me. I had so much work to do that if I didn’t make some progress on my projects while on vacation, I’d return only to find myself behind schedule, and I hate to be behind schedule. After a few days of this, I finally let myself off the hook. “I’m on vacation, for goodness sake!”

So, where am I going with this, you might ask. My point is that I realized that it really is okay to take a break from time to time. I honestly don’t remember the last time I actually took a vacation from EVERYTHING. I must admit, this was a great way to put my work and my life into perspective. I love to write, but even more, I love to live. My advice to you is, don’t get so caught up in your doing that you miss out on being. 

Remember, life’s a trip; enjoy the journey!