It feels super duper ridiculous to be “complaining” about finding my way back to reality after a very special and very chill vacation, but this is my space, and I’ll bitch if I want to!
But seriously, getting back to real life after any break from it can be hard. When you completely check out (like I rarely do; my life is so amazingly awesome, and I do know this, but I’m rarely not working or parenting, so completely checking out from both seems like the biggest luxury there ever was), checking back in can be a multi-step process. There’s the abrupt return to paying-attention-to-the-needs-of-other-beings-24-7 situation of parenthood. There’s the oh-shit-I-have-to-address-the-bazillion-questions-that-came-through-while-I-was-gone situation of running my own business. There’s the gotta-get-my-home-clean-and-groceries-purchased situation of plain and simply not having been home for 6 days. And then there’s the rounding-up-of-my-personal-gusto-and-drive that is absolutely required to ensure any of these things actually happen.
Modern life is something else. Hell, adulthood is something else. There are always multiple to-do lists to consult, various responsibilities to fulfill. All is good and fantastic and just exactly what I signed up for, but that whole not-having-to-worry-about-anything, that floating-in-the-pool-and-sipping-on-Palomas-all-day life I was immersed in was a pretty ideal vacation, and I’m finding that, instead of wanting to look at those to-do lists, I’m longing for the carefree days I experienced in Mexico.
How about you? How do you check out from your responsibilities? Have you taken an actual vacationy break from them? If not, I highly suggest that you do. I know that what I did was pretty special and pretty much a once-in-a-super-long-time trip, but even an afternoon reading in the sun all by yourself can be just what the self-care doctor ordered. Any time spent truly checking out from that which stresses us out can be rejuvenating as heck. Because let me tell you something: I am rejuvenated. Fully rejuvenated. It’s just that I keep smelling the ocean and feeling the bob of the pool, and am finding myself wishing for just one more day…
Here are a few photos, just so you can see how rough it was 😉
