Monday, May 28, 2007

Bonjour!

I'm back from what turned was a wonderful trip to Paris. My mom was a truly wonderful travel companion, and we had fun painting the town rouge. The most amazing side effect of the vacation is how incredibly relaxed I feel! I mean, relaxed in a way I haven't felt in years.

I spent the long weekend--gasp--doing whatever the hell I felt like! Brian and I soaked up some sun at a free concert on the Esplanade and row boating on the pond near our house. I gardened, with a sense of desire instead of obligation. Even today's tasks of unpacking my suitcase and hanging out with my in-laws weren't super arduous (though I did need a nap after the latter).

And what I realized as I went out for coffee and pastries this morning (one last day of guilt-free vacation eating), was that I want this feeling to last. No, I need it to. So no matter how much I feel I *need* to take on X, Y, or Z project, I cannot simply do so at the expense of my stress level. No longer will I try to cram as much as I possibly can into every day in the hopes of getting a return on the time- investment some day in the future. I will only do as much as I can while allowing myself to stay calm and present and relaxed.

Along those lines, I'm going to try as hard as I can to give myself one full day off a week--no email, no work work, no school work, nothing. I'm not sure that this is feasible, but I think it's worth a try! Best Blogger Tips

7 comments:

January said...

Welcome back! Sounds like your trip did you a world of good. Taking a day off a week is a great goal. Looking forward to hearing all about your adventure abroad.

TI said...

bug, welcome back. Glad you had fun and can't wait to hear what you did. Your idea of including e-mail in your list of what not to do on your day off is really great. E-mail is an easy way to "sneak" work or other stresses into the day.

Anonymous said...

Bonjour, mademoiselle! Je suis tres excitee que tu es arrivee.

(be merciful. I haven't written in French in over 10 years!)

Welcome home, and here's to cultivating a state of relaxation.

DJPare said...

Hope you stick to it!!
As long as I've known you, you've always taken on a crazy amount of things all at once...

Unknown said...

Welcome back! I am so glad that your trip gave you a look into your life. I think that one day off a week is a great thing to do. We should all try it.
I will be looking forward to your writing again!

Becca said...

Welcome home! It sounds like you took a page from the Parisian's book about enjoying life. Here's to cultivating a less stressful state of being...

Unknown said...

Wow,

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

I think you learned important lesson about yourself and life!

nice job.

Sylvia C.