Y’all, I can’t even inform you how a lot I wanted this final week-and-a-half break. I awakened this morning feeling so refreshed, so excited, and so able to get again into the swing of issues. And extra importantly, each little bit of stress and anxiousness I used to be feeling a week-and-a-half in the past has utterly vanished. It’s superb what a little bit of break day can do for an individual.
Once I final posted, I stated that I hoped to come back again with a very completed closet. I additionally stated that I’d be on social media throughout my break. Effectively, I modified my thoughts. 😀 I had deliberate to provide myself that first Thursday by means of Sunday to calm down, after which to get again to work final Monday. However once I bought up final Monday, I made a decision that point off wants to really imply break day. My physique wants that. My thoughts wants that. So I went a complete week-and-a-half with out doing hardly any work. I additionally determined that point off wanted to imply time away from social media, and that was amazingly refreshing as properly.
That doesn’t imply I didn’t do something in any respect. Concerning the center of final week, I made a decision that I wished to make these final ten flowers for my closet chandelier. That was a enjoyable, enjoyable, non-stressful challenge, and because it’s a artful and inventive challenge, it was the proper challenge to do on my break. After which yesterday, I completed placing the chandelier collectively. That was enjoyable, too. You’ll have to provide me a day to get again into the swing of issues (taking footage, enhancing footage, and so forth.), and I’ll present you the way it turned out tomorrow.
However aside from that, I didn’t do a single factor that might be thought of “work”. And IT. WAS. AMAZING.
How did I spend my time? Effectively, I spent a number of time with Matt. We relaxed and watched fairly a little bit of exhibits collectively. (We’re working our means by means of The Rookie proper now, which is fairly good.) I ate a number of meals that I most likely shouldn’t have, however I didn’t care. (I didn’t prepare dinner one single meal over the past week-and-a-half.)
However largely, I sat at my desk in my studio and I learn. And I learn, and skim, and skim. I can’t even determine what number of hours every day I spent studying. I haven’t spent that a lot time sitting and studying in…properly…ever. And I simply can’t even inform you how refreshing that was. Numerous hours spent simply studying. And since a few of you’ll ask, I used to be largely studying the Bible, i.e., essentially the most intriguing, attention-grabbing, fascinating, encouraging ebook ever written. I’ve by no means learn by means of a lot of the Bible in such a brief period of time in my total life, and to learn by means of a lot of it, in context, and in a single lengthy stretch over the course of 11 days, was such a singular, encouraging, and life-giving expertise.
The humorous factor is that once I determined to take break day, I turned off my morning alarm and gave myself permission to sleep in daily. However do you assume I did that? Completely not! I believe I slept till 7:00 solely at some point. The remainder of the times, I used to be awake, away from bed, and sitting at my desk at 6:00. And on a few days, I used to be up at 5:30.
There’s simply one thing so superb (I’m tempted to make use of the phrase “magical”) about these early morning hours, when the home and the neighborhood is quiet, Matt continues to be asleep, the home continues to be darkish, and I can sneak off to my studio desk and activate my one mild above the desk, with Cooper curled up sleeping below my desk, and my little house heater on preserving me heat (sure, even in the summertime 😁) that I can’t appear to get sufficient of. And I’d quite be up and soaking each drop of these hours than spending them in mattress sleeping.
Matt’s day begins at 9:00am every day, which is once I assist him together with his workouts after which put him on his Theracycle, which occupies him for the following three hours. His Theracycle is in my studio proper now, and he likes to take heed to an audio ebook whereas on his train bike. However that didn’t cease me from having my quiet solitude at my desk. I handled myself to some Bose noise-cancelling headphones (these are those I bought — affiliate hyperlink), so whereas he was on his bike and listening to his audio ebook, I remained in my very own little world with my headphones on and taking part in this “deep focus” music very softly in my ears. Once more…magical. I’ve by no means used noise-cancelling headphones earlier than, and I used to be amazed at how the world round me actually does fade away when I’ve these on with that music taking part in very softly.
So it was a tremendous break, and really wanted. Along with watching TV, spending time with Matt, consuming plenty of meals I shouldn’t have, and studying, I additionally took Cooper for about 100 walks round our property. It was good to have these enjoyable breaks all through the day the place Cooper and I might stroll round our giant again yard, and he might mark all the timber and fence traces😀 whereas I might simply…assume. There have been no ideas of tasks or to-do lists. No ideas of what I wanted to get finished earlier than I’m going to mattress that night time. Simply nice ideas about random matters that I had been studying about whereas having fun with nature that surrounded us.
Talking of Cooper, he’s doing rather well. We’ve gotten into a extremely good, manageable schedule together with his meals. I’ve gotten his meals down to 2 a day, and he’s doing nice with that! I feed him the primary time at 9:00am proper earlier than I assist Matt together with his workouts, which really takes about 20 minutes. So the timing is ideal. By the point the timer goes off for Cooper to have the ability to rise up and transfer round once more after consuming (he has to sit down upright 20 minutes after his meals due to his megaesophagus), Matt and I are completed together with his workouts and we’re able to get Matt on his Theracycle.
After which I feed him the second time whereas we’re consuming lunch, in order that takes no additional time away from my regular work schedule. All of us eat lunch collectively, and Cooper’s 20 minutes are up lengthy earlier than Matt and I are completed with our lunch (or extra particularly, earlier than Matt is completed his lunch). So this new schedule with feeding him twice a day is figuring out completely and received’t take any additional time away from my work schedule as soon as I get again into the swing of issues. And he hasn’t regurgitated on his meals one single time throughout my break day, so issues are trying up in that space.
And so far as the “puncture wounds” on his hind finish, I’ve taken him again to the vet twice now for checkups and wound care (nothing emergent, simply recurrently scheduled checkups after the primary emergency go to for the wound), and she or he stated on the second go to that they’re not puncture wounds. They’re from a cyst that burst. That was a aid as a result of so long as I believed they have been puncture wounds, I used to be afraid to let him out into his yard unsupervised. And that was resulting in a number of my time being required to take him out on his leash daily, which was resulting in a number of my stress. So as soon as I might really begin seeing that the world was therapeutic very properly, I began letting him again out into his yard unsupervised. That has freed up a number of my time as properly.
All of that to say that my break day was superb. I really feel like a brand new particular person this morning. I really feel no stress, no anxiousness, and I’m prepared to leap again into issues. I did determine that I’m going to begin taking break day like this each summer season. Whereas Matt and I can’t take precise holidays, I’m really type of glad. Holidays and touring may be exhausting, and that’s not what I would like. This kind of down time that I’ve had over the past 11 days — sitting nonetheless, studying, enjoyable — is the precise type of rejuvenation I would like, and from right here on out, I’m going to permit myself to try this twice a 12 months quite than simply every year.
So, I’m again. And as we speak, I’m getting again to work. Keep tuned for my completed closet chandelier tomorrow!
