I return to my day job tomorrow after spending the last week on Spring Break. This year, break was spent on a “staycation,” which can be wonderful, but it can also be treacherous. You must tread carefully here.
It is very important for me to take regular breaks from work in order to reset and recharge. I’ve experienced burnout before and it’s seven kinds of awful. Done carelessly, “staycations” don’t provide enough downtime to be useful – you just wind up doing chores and trying to relax while actually fretting over your to-do list. My solution to this common problem is to have several half days of partial rest during which chores and “set up” get done, then to have at least three days of total cocooning. I find that this method keeps me from having to face mountains of chores just before returning to the workaday world.
Half days can involve attending to personal appointments and light housekeeping. For me, this meant making sure the house was stocked with good food, giving the house a quick “round clean,” and keeping an appointment that is critical to my ongoing health. (Yes, no one especially enjoys a medical physical, but as we age, such appointments take on true necessity and I am fortunate to have a good long-term relationship with my doctor. If you’re not making AND KEEPING appointments to keep an eye on your physical and mental health, make a commitment to make those appointments this week, please!)
Here, the weather is a bit up-and-down, so I took advantage of the nice days to get outside and walk and made sure to have inside fun for the inevitable overcast and cold March days. I created three watercolors, saw several movies (including the new-to-me classics The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Les Girls [which can properly be called “Rashomon – The Musical!” and has made me a Kay Kendall fan), had my hair chopped and colored, worked on puzzles, read, cooked some new dishes, and decided to observe Lent by ending each day with a cup of hot tea. I also “cashed in” a Christmas present from my Beloved and spend the day being pampered at a local spa – no pictures as I decided I’d rather experience it than document it!
But best of all was the decision to grab a friend – I’ll call her Songbird here – and play Hometown Tourist yesterday. Now, Hometown Tourist is a game that all Divas should play, especially those of us in the sticks. It’s very, VERY easy to forget that there are interesting things to do in our own backyards. So Songbird and I met up yesterday (and, if I do say so, in cute dresses and comfortable shoes!) to spend the day exploring my hometown. We toured the pottery show at the local Arts Council, explored roots music at the Earl Scruggs Center, took a long stroll through a historic cemetery, and took a ride on a restored carousel in the park. We also had a leisurely lunch and refreshed ourselves with boba tea – which I discovered I liked when it’s fruit tea and not the milk-with-tapioca style. (Ginger with blueberry pearls – yum!)
Don’t spurn your own backyard, Divas. Every town has something to offer – Master Gardener classes are starting up, the farmer’s markets are beginning to have far more than just winter root vegetables, and I just bet there’s a good bakery in your town that you’d enjoy. There may be a museum nearby, or an art gallery, or an artist cooperative. You may have lived in your town for decades, but have you ever visited the local Chamber of Commerce or the library? There are gems tucked away everywhere – go look for them, Divas!
It’ll help you bloom, I promise you!
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