Leisure. It has been YEARS since I’ve felt a sense of leisure, and it is something I think we are all clamoring for; why the great realignment has become such a central theme in work life today.
There is a book series by John D. MacDonald in which the protagonist, Travis McGee, lives a philosophy of taking his retirement in installments, while he is young enough to enjoy it. He’ll work for a spell, save up enough money for an installment of “retirement” and when his funds diminish, he takes on more work. I love this, and so last month, in the spirit of this idea, my husband and I decided we would claim an installment of leisure and enjoy a staycation.
An Uncomfortable Choice
This year, my husband and I chose not to travel. It felt strange to choose to miss a family gathering in the Adirondacks, and to cancel a planned road trip up to Northern Cal. But we’ve been so busy for so long (like two decades, y’all) and neither of us wanted to keep running. Not going to lie, it took a little time to reconcile the decision between head and heart. I kept feeling like I should want to go, but in my heart of hearts, I really didn’t. I really wanted to spend some time at home. Our families graciously supported this decision.
Staycation Benefits
Instead, in the morning my husband would head to the garage workshop, and I to my desk for some writing or to the workshop to make art. We would meet up for lunch and then head to the beach, or farmers market, or just sit on the porch with some ice cream or beer. We actually, finally, cleaned out the file cabinet, because we had some extra time that wasn’t booked up with other running around. It was a perfect mix of activity and leisure.
A Real Break
Taking a real break and just staying put can be pretty great. And being able to allow our minds to quiet down a little brings a deepened sense of well-being and fulfillment. Case in point, if we hadn’t been home watering the plants one morning, we wouldn’t have seen the nine escaped donkeys sauntering down our street. And we wouldn’t have learned about the “fence problem” at the ranch from which they escaped. It was one of those exceptional and unexpected moments of joy that can come from taking an installment of leisure, of staying home.
At the Workbench
Grab an ice cream or a beer or a lemon water or whatever you really like and sit on the porch/patio/stoop with your chair tipped back. Tell your mind to stand down – you deserve to just feel good, no fomo, no guilt. I doubt you’ll see a posse of wayward donkeys, but you’ll have claimed an installment of leisure time, and isn’t that as important as the build?
Sending love and light. And some staycation pix, below.
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