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Gimmee a Break!
And ... I'm practically killing myself trying to get ready to go. In front of me is a list with all the things that "have" to be done and the estimated time each one will take. Today's list was 11 hours, tomorrow's is 12. And those lists don't include driving my son to school, doing laundry, making meals, answering emails, shopping, showering, etc. We could talk for days about all the layers to this for me, especially my "favorites" like "I don't feel like I deserve this amazing good fortune so here's one way I make it miserable for myself" or "I'm going away and shirking all my responsibilities so I need to work twice as hard before and after to make up for it" or, simply, "I need to be perfect." But I'm not going to say any more about that. What I want to write about is how this compassionate voice dropped in out of nowhere and whispered in my head, "You could let yourself off the hook with the Simply Celebrate Newsletter. You could copy last month's newsletter and instead of spending time writing new things and searching for new photos, you could simply tell folks that you are GIVING YOURSELF A BREAK!" I am giving myself a break. And it feels delicious. I'm looking at all the things on my "must-do" list and seeing which ones I can ease up on a little. Where I can let go. How I can find more joy in the time before I hope on the plane. And in the spirit of that, what I want to say is, "Is there someplace in your own life where you can give yourself a break?" Are you a perfectionist as a parent, friend, spouse, or employee? Are there things you've said "yes" to that you can do more simply or not at all? Can you get burritos or salads as take-out instead of cooking dinner when you're exhausted? Can you hire a babysitter so you can spend three hours reading a book at a cafe? Can you take that much-needed mental health day at work? Can you do things "good enough" for just one day? Can you nap? Can you cry? Can you LET GO and experiment with what it feels like to offer yourself some kindness by taking a break? xo Sherry P.S. The ironic thing is, when I copied last month's newsletter and opened it up, I was truly ONLY going to write two sentences about how I was giving myself a break and you should, too. But here I am all these many words later. But the difference is ... this editorial was something I wanted to write. Sharing with you felt like relaxation, not like work. When I let myself off the hook for the "should" (as in, I "should" do the newsletter), what was left was what felt perfect in the moment. What I "want." Connecting with you was just perfect. PPS: If you find any typos or glaring errors, just imagine that I left them in as my tribute to imperfection!
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A good friend of mine invited me to vacation with her in her family's home in Hawaii. We were able to get an incredible fare. My son's dad graciously and generously agreed to take on double-duty in the parenting department. And my dear boss for my ongoing freelance gig gave me her blessing to unplug and rejuvenate. Yes! Yes! Yes! I am so fortunate! It's been years since I've taken a work-free, deadline-free, vacation. And now I'm all set to leave for one within a few days.
