What I Did on my Summer Vacation

And I’m back!

I suppose that title should really read “Summer Break” since “vacation” connotes actually going places and doing interesting things instead of just hanging around the house being as unplugged and lazy as I could get away with for nearly two weeks.

I didn’t plan to be “gone” for quite so long, but my first attempt at a break two weeks ago was thwarted when my freelance writing assignments came in a week earlier than anticipated. So I had to postpone my break to get those taken care of, which I can’t say I did entirely without grumbling, because y’all, I was powerfully tired. But I sucked it up and got ’em done, and was rewarded with an even longer break than I’d originally anticipated being able to take.

And boy howdy, did I need that.

Anyway, today it’s time to get back to the grind, so I’m trying to ease my way  back into work/writing mode with this here blog post. I’ve got another freelance assignment due this week, which I hope to be able to get done this afternoon so I can spend the rest of this week finally, actually finishing my novel instead of talking about it ad infinitum.

Which is to say that not a lot of noveling got done over the break as originally planned. After hustling to get those articles written I needed an extended break from writing, too. So other than a little bit of journaling, and spending a couple of hours untangling the knot of my book’s messy climax, and assembling interview questions for this week’s assignment, I gave myself permission not to write.

Turns out I really needed that, too.

So how did I spend the last almost-two-weeks?

What a lot of my break actually looked like

Other than spending the first weekend mostly camped out on the couch re-watching the Lizzy Bennet Diaries on my tiny phone screen, it wasn’t entirely lazy and unproductive. I spent most of the days indulging in the things that make my soul happy. This included a lot of reading, a lot of crafting, and a lot of sitting around just dreaming and thinking. It also included a lot of afternoon naps with my husband and dog, and some deep conversations with my husband, and snuggling up beside him to watch some movies. Yesterday it also included forgetting my dietary restrictions and indulging in premium hot dogs (on Hawaiian bread buns–those are SO worth the higher price tag) and chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookie bars with chocolate & peanut butter ice cream. I’m feeling the effects today but it was worth it.

One of my craft projects – click the picture to get to the pin

Oh! We also finally made it to the library and renewed our library cards (somehow we’d gotten deleted from the system entirely and had to get new cards. No wonder my website login no longer worked! On the plus side, any fines we owed got deleted along with our accounts). I was able to install the library’s e-book and audio book app on my phone so now a whole new world of book-imbibing possibilities is open to me, which makes me ridiculously happy. I came home and jumped online and added just about every book ever mentioned on What Should I Read Next to my wait list.

I also checked out a ginormous copy of Outlander, so now I’ve started down that long and winding rabbit hole. I didn’t realize there were so many of those books, but now I suppose I’ll have to read them all (and then watch the series). Good thing I have a library card.

I also spent a lot of time praying and planning my areas of focus for the rest of the year, but that belongs in another blog post.

All in all, it was restful and satisfying, and it broke the pattern of rush and hustle that was beginning to creep back into my life. Going forward, I’m going to do my best to be more intentional with my time and energy, and make time in my day for these things that energize me and bring me joy. But again, that’s fodder for another blog post.

What about you, friend? Did you get to take a break recently (even if only a long holiday weekend)? Got any vacation plans coming up? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!