Don't we all do?
It took me a while
to realize that I'm no longer the energetic teenager who doesn't say no to anything. At 27, I'm less active and favors more relaxing activities. My idea of a night out now is getting a drink at a lounge or sports bar rather than all night dancing in a crowded posh club. I sure need a break, but I never entertained the thought seriously. It only dawned on me after an hour-long fight with our village security
last night. (To cut the story short, my car broke down in front of the
friendship gate a minute before closing, and the village guards decided to be
insensitive, inconsiderate and rude - especially that it's not time for their
Christmas Aguinaldo) But I’m not taking any of their sh*t (yes, I’m very upset,
I’m sorry) so I’m filing a formal complaint. Things like this are not too
familiar to me, because believe you me, I’m always patient and courteous with
service people and I even cringe at those who like to boss them around.
So what’s the
connection of the staycation I need and the guard busting scene you ask? Well, a lot of it has to do with my self control. Not so long ago, to make me truly mad takes a whole lot of
effort and extreme vulgarity, but it's no longer true . I snapped after the first rude
remark from that ill-mannered guard. I have no patience left in my body, and that’s
sorely out of character. I may be snob, but conflict doesn’t sit well with me.
I’m not a war freak. Never was and never
will.
“Even heavy duty
machines need cooling time, you know, otherwise they’ll wear out too soon.” says my significant other.
“Perhaps” I said,
at the back of my mind, I know he’s right.
What’s with men of
few words that I always tend to listen to their one liners? If he tried to
convince me on how much I need and deserve a break after working for six solid
years with no real vacation longer than scarce 4-day weekends, and how the
stressful nature of my work can take its toll on me, regardless of how much I
love what I do, then the farthest he’ll get is to see me rolling my eyes at him.
Thanks to my voice of reason (Hi, Sweetie!), I decided to save myself
from becoming an old, impatient (and wrinkled!) witch, so I just have to make this
staycation happen. Nothing fancy, only fresh linens, grapefruit oil, fat
pillows, books and good movies. To make this thing work, I vow to observe the
following:
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| VIA |
1. Live Offline. I keep three phones, one of which is a
Blackberry, so total of four messaging tools including my BBM. I also have two
laptops, one I use mainly for work. I log on to my social networks daily, and I
check four different email accounts. My mind is begging me to stop this
addiction of checking my texts and emails every chance I get and just abandon
the online world. Be gadget-free for at least three days.
2. Eat. Pray. Love. I vow to eat good food and be fast junk food free for the whole
of my staycation. Talk to my God in any place and any time I want, spend time
with myself and get lost in my own thoughts, without my usual guilt of letting
the time pass doing nothing.
3. The art of nothingness. The
state of doing nothing in particular, and not forcing yourself to think of anything
particular. It’s like emptying your tank so you’re ready to load up with fresh new things come Monday.
4. Early to bed and early to
rise. A confessed night owl, I long for the rare times that I can sleep early
and rise early, enjoying the benefits of doing more with the longer hours of
the day and simply enjoy the clean, serene feeling of early mornings. To know
more of its benefits, click HERE.
5. Yoga. I’ve been practicing
power yoga the past weeks, but I consider it exercise more than anything. My arms and core love it, but my mind is begging for something more subtle. I
just got my meditation Yoga DVD, and it’s time to breathe my way to a more
relaxing routine.
6. Read.I try to squeeze my
reading time before bed and while in the shuttle going to work. Both of which
are unhealthy ways to read. I either sleep at 3am or get headache from reading while the van is in motion. Three days off will give me 9 hours of pleasurable reading time, if only I dedicate 3
hours a day. That sounds like a plan. I’m excited to read my
suspense novels and biographies, in place of my countless emails, and other people’s
posts (*grins*). A truly welcome change. Read on my best friend’s tips on how
to finish a book by clicking HERE.
7. Take things Slow. I talk
fast, I think fast and I decide fast. Darn I even walk so fast, I’ll beat
you in walkathon any day. To be honest, I like things done the fastest way possible.
But I’m not to say that taking things slowly has no merits. It certainly pays to take time and start with slower pace in about anything. A slow, leisure walk, chewing and enjoying your food properly, slow, meaningful conversations. This weekend, I
vow to do things slowly and just savor the idle moments I have on hand. A long
slow bath sounds good, too.
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| www.lovetoknow.com |
Are you into staycation, too? I know someone who is. Hello to the witty Poyt of Tanggera! :) Wish me luck, especially on the no emails/texts part. And it will be great to hear your staycation tips, too. :)
From the Nook,
Dang
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