Have you ever had the opportunity to take an extended period of time away from work? Away from your life? Away from Debbie Downer and Ned the Nosy Neighbor? Away from your cluttered home and messy yard? Away from your daily responsibilities? If you have never had such an opportunity, I highly recommend you do some thinking, introspection, detective work etc to figure out how you could make it happen. It can change your life!
Extended time away from life is refreshing, invigorating and good for the soul! If done well, it can provide greater insight into difficulties you are facing leading to better thought processes and better decisions. Time away can recharge your batteries giving you more energy for activities that have become a struggle. I know when I get into stressed out mode, I don’t have the mental or physical energy to do more than the basics of self-care and work much. When in that mode, there is little oomph for tending to all of the pieces of the health puzzle!
I have had the opportunity to get away from my life a few times and call them my “Mini-Retirements”. My first Mini-Retirement was back in 2013 when I took 2 months away to go spend time with Mother Fran after her hip surgery. During those two months, I met my honey spent lots of time with family and kayaked to my hearts content. During that time away (while taking some quiet time), I realized I was burnt out at my job and desperately wanted more time at the lake. I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t move the lake so I developed a plan to move back to New York.
By the time my 2 months were up, I had developed a plan to return to work in Massachusetts for 7 months, save as much money as possible and quit my job to move back to New York. I used that time period to change my relationship with money and that has made a world of difference in how I live my life. I reduced my spending dramatically to get myself on the path to a debt free life and that has opened my eyes to new options regarding work. After I completed my 7 months at work, I followed my plan by moving to the Finger Lakes in Upstate, NY and took another 7 months off before finding another job. I worked a bit here and there but didn’t have any regular, steady work. I guess that was my second “Mini-Retirement”.
I recently wrapped up my third “Mini-Retirement”, where my honey and I drove from Upstate New York to Florida with several stops along the way. We spent almost 3 weeks with Mother Fran and Child #7 and had plenty of time to relax, read, kayak and play Canasta! We stayed with family and friends on our journey as well as at a few Air B&B’s. We had a wonderful time away from the cold winter weather and neither of us were anxious to return.
For me, the purpose of this trip was to escape winter with my honey and to spend time with family and friends. All together we were gone just over 4 weeks and got to see Child #3, #5 and #7. We also saw Child #2’s son and family, Child #3’s daughter and family and all of Child #4’s children. We also spent time with my honey’s college friends in Boone, NC as well as her friends in Durham, NC. We had lunch with old friend of mine in Tarpon Springs, Florida that I have known since I was 14! Having great friends is good for our mental health! While away, we hiked in Nature Preserves, kayaked in 3 different beautiful spots and soaked up plenty of sun. My batteries went from empty to fully charged!
This trip was a wonderful reminder for me to continue on the path I have chosen. Below are the key ingredients in my recipe for a happy life. I wrote them way back in 2013 and they highlight how I choose to live my life. I have been happily paddling towards them ever since!
My Destination:
- I want my home to be relaxing, simple, joyful and low maintenance
- I want to earn my living doing work that I find meaningful and that brings others to a better place/space
- I want to be debt free leaving my options for semi-retirement wide open
- I want to share my life with a partner that enjoys the simple things in life that I have to offer
- I want to spend my time doing things I enjoy with people I care about
- I want to do my part to leave this earth a better place then I found it
- I want to live below my means with a focus on people, relationships, the environment – not stuff
These are things that are important to me, these are my priorities and they govern how I live my life. A Mini-Retirement might be just the catalyst to figure out what path you wish to be on or better yet, a reminder to stay on the path!
Lake Girl
