I Could Get Used to This

Last weekend, we opted to quarantine at the beach. This only intensified my desire for a home away from home, but that’s not what this post is about. 

For the first time in months, I felt relaxed. I had a regular Friday -- teaching classes via Zoom from the screened-in porch, answering emails, doing some grading, and submitting mid-semester warnings and kudos -- but it all had a different feel. 

One I could get used to.

It didn’t hurt that the weather was sunny and perfectly October, or that there were three outside spaces for this usually-content-indoors girl to work and rest in. As an added bonus, everyone was happy to be exactly where we were.

For the first time in a long time, I felt as though it was okay to just be. I fell into beach mode automatically, mixing sketchnoting, reading, and writing projects in among the school work. Relaxation came easily and, with no pressure to be productive, I made progress on a writing project I'd been stuck on for a while. 

Among other things.

Not everyone is happy to spend 14 hours on the porches, though. Some people like to actually do something while they're away, so I had to leave my porch from time to time. While I can't complain, I do stuff all the time at home. I loved not doing stuff for a change. 

I know breaks are important, but when deadlines and responsibilities loom, it's hard to justify long, luxurious ones. Still, when we take them, they can set us up for success. Somehow, although I know that, I still put off the breaks. 

I'm back home, posting this blog much later than I'd hoped, another day of teaching from the usual spot behind me, grateful for the opportunity to recharge. 

And that is a feeling I want to hang on to, indoors or out.