This month kicks off the back-to-work travel season for those of us in the speaking business. Summer is a time to rest and recover, but since the pandemic, summers have been steadily busier for me. This year, I realized it was time to take a break. A real break. Hubs and I went to Kona, Hawaii, and dubbed it “channel zero” for the week. We decided not to plan ANYTHING. We just did whatever we wanted every day for seven days. It was intoxicating. I had forgotten how many stars you can see in the sky when the city lights don’t obstruct your view. It was a chance to clear my head. No business calls. No personal calls. Just the sound of the ocean. Did I mention it was intoxicating?
So what?
Here’s the point. Slowing down gave me the time to recharge, to clear the mental clutter, to think, and meditate. You don’t have to go to Hawaii, though they depend on tourism dollars. You can recharge at home. That’s what hubs and I determined. God rested on the 7th day, and he called it the Sabbath, which is where the practice of sabbaticals is derived. He provided a day of rest every week, not once a month or every summer, but every week. My husband said to me during one of our nightly sunsets, “Babe, you know, we don’t have to come to Hawaii to take a sabbath.”
Duh. But yeah, he’s right.
So, since returning, I’ve taken one day every week to rest from my daily grind, and what a grind it is. Even if you love it, it is still a grind because it is what you have to do to afford time to rest. So there it is. I’ve chosen one day a week to Sabbath. To clear the mental clutter and recharge. No calls. No business. Nothing that I’d typically do on the other six days. I thought it would be a challenge.
But it’s not. And I’m better for it.
Pam
