During a recent trip to visit family, I was plugging away on freelance work long after we'd tucked the kids into bed. That made me pay attention to my thoughts during the day, when I was supposed to be "relaxing" and, you know what? I've forgotten how to relax.
At the beach, I watch my husband and preschooler bury our toddler in sand up to his chest (it was the only way to keep him in one place for more than 15 seconds, and he was delighted) and a corner of my mind wonders if I should jot down a few notes for a short article on traveling with children. Bobbing in the waves with our teenage daughter, enjoying each other’s company in smiling
silence, I bite my lip to avoid crowding the moment with unnecessary words.
After an afternoon at a park with the youngest kids, I put our toddler down for
a nap and feel guilty about contemplating taking a short one myself, not because
my other kids will be back with my husband at any minute, but because I feel like I’ll be “lazy” if I catch up on sleep instead of work. While watching the debates on Friday, surrounded by our older kids, I fought the urge to flip open my laptop — of course I brought it — and check my email, or Facebook, or maybe get caught up on a blog post or two. ... [More]
Now, there's a difference between a "working vacation" and "working while on vacation," I think, and this trip crossed the line. How about you? Are you able to shut off the work side of your brain when you go away?
1 comment:
As I've said before, if family is involved, it's not a vacation.
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