June 19, 2008

Take a break
Recently, I was interviewed for a news release promoting a mental health study pointing out the need for small business people to take a summer vacation. After I recovered from the shock of being touted as a paragon of mental health, I realized I’m fairly adept at maintaining a balance between work, family and my own fun.

I’m great at working shorter hours when I can so I can spend time with my tween, teen and aging parents. I recently took off a fine spring morning to paint my front porch. I take breaks for fitness, dog walking and friends. I work hard, but not too hard. As a result, I’m not as stressed, or well-off, as my colleagues who routinely work evenings and weekends.

When I do go away, I don’t check e-mail and I leave my cell number with only a few emergency contacts. The trouble is I have not gone away in nearly two years.

Worse still, beyond a fantasy of swimming, biking and hiking with my kids, father and two dogs, I haven’t made any plans. Like too many people, I have just not found the time. Or, should I say, I have not made the time.

Taking a break is different than maintaining a balance in my daily routine. I need to clear my head of all the clutter and break the chains that bind me to e-mail, to-do lists and tidying.

As I find during the mini-meditation breaks I occasionally slide into my day, it's difficult to empty and quiet the mind. When I am able to reach that peaceful place, even if for only a few minutes, I always return revitalized and often with a fresh perspective on life or work issues that were weighing me down. Think what a week or so of not thinking about work could do.

Many of my friends and clients work too hard. And some prefer vacations that are action-packed. Not me. Sure, I love to travel to new places and take time for activities and people that I can't always fit into my normal routine. But sometimes I just need to turn off the circus that's constantly performing in my head.

As I so sagely, and hypocritically, told the interviewer, it’s not only important to spend time on family and fun, but also to recharge my batteries. I’ll be able to think more clearly, and creatively, when I return.

My child-free friends suggest that I take a vacation without so many family responsibilities. But my kids are at that age when they spend more time with their friends and techno toys than they do with me. There’s a limit to how long my 81-year-old father will be able to travel with us. And my skittish dog, who normally stays with my father and his dog when we go away, would have a nervous breakdown if I sent her to a kennel.

The time will come soon when I can’t vacation with them. To everything, there is a season… I’m going to savour their company while I can.

On the other hand, during our holiday discussions I have insisted that I will not be cooking or cleaning. And I am demanding a few undisturbed hours every day to spend with books or other tranquil pastimes.

I remember my last real vacation: fireworks sizzling over the steamy St. Lawrence River, side-splitting laughter at flame-throwing, stilt-walking, joual-cracking  buskers… But I need some new memories. And I need a new break.

So I’d better switch gears and start checking out pet-friendly destinations. If I can only resist the temptation to check my e-mail or empty the dishwasher first.

Enjoy your summer break.

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