Jun
7
Making Vacations
Filed Under Brunch |
Each weekend a new "Brunch" post will feature thoughts about balancing family and self care with working in an always-on Internet environment. This edition is by Elizabeth Able, owner of AbleReach.
What can you do after your Broadband goes on the fritz, hosting is wonky, a hard drive takes a final bow and the neighborhood's electricity goes out just before saving a nice, long article? Playing catch-up is a given, but what about the headaches, the sleepless nights and that quicksand dread when the next set of hassles hits?
For one thing, I've been more purposeful lately about planting good things where I will naturally experience them on a regular basis. Relief is sometimes active, sometimes passive, and I can help with both.
Beauty can Bring Peace
I have fuchsia baskets hanging outside my bathroom window, by which I inevitably need to sit, and where I will inevitably look. Humming birds like the fuchsias - aren't humming birds magical?
My cat has figured out that a trip to the bathroom is an opportunity to bird-watch with Mom. Now he chases me into the bathroom and perches on the window ledge, having his cat fantasies about the birds. A happy cat is fun to watch. I like that I don't need to make my little birdwatching moments happen. I stacked the cards in my favor and now I just need to remember to be happy.
Stretching is Healthy
The Mayo Clinic has an illustrated series of sensible stretches you can do in your office. I like to get up and turn around before stretching - a little odd, but it seems to make my muscles be more willing to stretch.
Walking Time is Good Thinking Time
I like to go for walks in between tasks. Tip: tuck a small notebook in your pocket, because a change of pace can help turn problems into a flow of ideas.
Dance Makes You Breathe and Feel
Do you work alone at home? What a great opportunity for dancing like a fool! Disclaimer - these examples look more foolish when I do them.
Sometimes I unwind the stress by sort of vogue-ing while I stretch, or by flat out pretending I can dance up a storm. (And my daughter thought that living with my singing was a challenge!)
Singing is Good Medicine
Breathing deeply changes your chemistry by getting more oxygen in the blood... and there's nothing like a sing-along with dangerous Nan McGrew to change one's perspective.
Why, I pull a train right off the tracks
And for perfume, I use shellac
When mad dogs bite, I bite 'em back
Grrrr! 'Cause I'm dangerous Nan McGrew!
Mini Vacations Freshen Outlook
Everything I've described above can be a mini-vacation, but to get some of the same benefits you don't need to stretch, dance, sing, garden or take the time for a walk. Relaxing takes the edge off, and doesn't have to take long.
Have you ever had one of those days where "a moment's peace" seems to be too much to ask, and the logical truth is that problems won't be resolved quickly or easily? A mini vacation may hit the spot. Close your eyes and relax, breathing slowly and deeply, and visualize... nothing. Or visualize a meadow or a beach, whatever will give you a moment's peace. A few moments of peace can change your outlook, maybe not 100%, but certainly enough to sidestep a head-on collision with full-on frustration.
A few minutes later, take another mini-vacation. Practice will shorten your inner commute to a delicious pocket of no-strings calm.
Wait Just a Minute!
Don't even tell me you skimmed to the end without checking out the song and dance links. Back up and click on some joi de vie. Verve is good for you.
When I'm not writing or experimenting with WordPress I like to help to moderate at Cre8asite Forums, admire my plants and Stumble like a fiend.
Comments
16 Comments so far
I love your quirkiness. It’s what makes you special. That and the fact that you dance like a fool.
This is a wonderful post.
I love that you dance, too! I’ve recently started doing it. If my neighbor can wash his car in his bathrobe, I can dance in my living room like a dork. 
That’s fun
My youngest one grew up with my dancing so she things nothing of it (yet!) but I have some energetic moves man
My favorite summer beat big bounce happiness songs to move on in the last X years are Boten Ana (never made it big enough here in Quebec but really geeky IRC song…) and of course Blue bij Eiffel 65.
Will Smith’s Summertime is great for heatwave or humid weather. For me Mungo Jerry’s version is still the “original” as I played it so often on the radio (whole other story…).
But for chills down my spine I have to air guitar to Frampton’s Do you feel like we do
Thanks for the happy feelings
Oh man, now I’ll be singing Frampton in my head all night. Woot! I gathered together some “happy songs” that i like to listen to when i need that kind of music. They include, Katrina and the waves: Walking on Sunshine, Colbie Caillat: Bubbly, Smash Mouth: AllStar, and a few others I’m not remembering at the moment. Fun, fun!
Java Jive
Mama Said There’d be Days Like This
Mama Cass - Dream a Little Dream of Me
Texas Tornados - Hey Baby Que Paso
War - Low Rider
The Offspring - Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)
Soup Dragons - I’m Free
Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon
“and the neighborhood’s electricity goes out just before saving a nice, long article?”
Painful, this must have been.
@Bamboo - It was painful, and also memorable. I was tempted to check above my house for a black cloud that is purely for me. Then I remembered that I am rich in big, fat, white candles, which I like a lot, and one thing led to another. Pretty soon a few neighbors and I were walking to the edge of our darkness, speculating about what may have happened.
Having that night’s sleep back would have been nice, but the post ended up being better after reconstruction, a breakthrough for me, and life went on.
Mama Cas! Ha! Yup, yup And the Tamla Motown sound, man, what a time
[...] friend, Elizabeth Able, is trying to help frazzled web workers take creative mini-vacations in order to maintain balance and a sunny disposition. I liked this article, and I’m a firm [...]
Pretty photo! I really loved this post, Elizabeth. I so agree with the idea of mini-vacations. In fact, your post inspired me to write one in reply:
http://www.solaswebdesign.net/wordpress/?p=206
I think mini-vacations are good time to do something new. Even something totally different than what’s the norm for you. It livens things up!
Happy Sunday, my friend!
Miriam
Hi Elizabeth - What a beautiful view you have from your window. I like your idea of doing the mini-vacation thing. I’m going to try it this morning.
Mini vacations are nice. My wife and I just had one. Her birthday was on Father’s Day this year. We didn’t even leave the house. Just watched movies, refused to do chores, and practiced keeping only 1/2 an eyeball on the kids. It was nice and it didn’t cost a thing.
[...] Elizabeth Able - I met her in the Stumble Upon community. She hasn’t blogged for over a month and I’m really missing reading her detailed and interesting articles. She’s a real thinker and here’s some of her great writing: Making Vacations [...]
Hope your computer is no longer ailing and that you are dancing with the fuchsias!
I have been immersed in my own version of electronic chaos, busy season from the gallery, and avalanches of family. I came up for air to see what you are doing, and you are as absent as I have been lately!
Poppies are good to dance with too…
Lexi
Hello world!
My computer is going in for a heart transplant this week, and I have been promised a 50% refund for the $140 I prepaid for unusable hosting. Live and learn.
I’ve been soooo busy. My garden (and Plurk) have been my solace. I have a thing for fuchsias.
Lexi, I actually have a bunch of seeds for red poppies. They reminded me of the red poppies that were everywhere in Germany. I hesitate to plant them because I’d like them to naturalize, and they aren’t anywhere near a local species. On the other hand I’d be replacing invasive non-indigenous brambles, and red poppies would make me happy.
Well, I have two town lots that are usually pretty full of self seeding Shirley poppies, which were derived from the Flanders red poppies you likely saw in Germany. That should tell you what I think…
They don’t tend to go too far in the wild, so you are probably ok with them.
As the seeds are so tiny, you might have best results from preparing the flower bed this fall. Mix the seeds with a little sand if you like and broadcast them in the late fall or even on top of snow during winter. They are hardy little buggers and will come up early in the spring before you would think of tilling.
After they are established in the first bed the seeds will start making themselves at home here and there in your gardens. Some people hate that, but they are the people who measure between their plants and check tree trunks with a level. I am not that kind of person…
Lexi