The excitement of summer vacation fills the air in our communities. School is out; Vacations are planned, many changes abound. Spring has awakened the flowers; hay is high in the fields, farm animals and wild creatures take care of their new babies; it is a time of new beginnings.
For family caregivers, summer can be a good thing. Perhaps you are one of those who will benefit from the availability of young people who will help you this summer; or get relief from the stress of dealing with school schedules while taking care of someone. You can have free time for yourself with all this extra help available.
On the other hand, summer can simply mean more mouths to feed during the day, more clothes to wash, more stress. Maybe you would like to go on vacation, but you know in your heart that even a full day for you is out of the question.
I want to help you celebrate the wonders of summer, even with a busy schedule and overwhelming responsibilities. You’ve heard me say this before, take a few minutes for yourself to consider your personal wants and needs.
1. Determine one thing that would help make your days and weeks more peaceful; just one thing. What is it that prompts you to take a short breath? Decide on one thing.
2. Plan a specific time to do that thing at least one hour a week. Schedule and stick to that time as much as possible.
3. Call this time, even an hour, your vacation. Plan it, celebrate it and wait next week for another ‘vacation’.
I’m sure some of you think this is too simple and may not be of any value to your already hectic lifestyle. I just ask you to try it, please. I also didn’t think about it of value until I had to pay taxes to the limit and had to find even the smallest event to look forward to each week.
Consider these starters for fun vacation ideas for an hour or more, if you have the time.
1. Do you have a friend or relative that you still want to call but never do? Why not make that your destination for the next week? During the week, when it comes to mind, write down what you think of him, perhaps the questions he would like to ask or the things he wants to say to him. Find all the positives you can to jot down and get ready to have fun with this call. Remember, it is not an interview, it is a vacation!
2. Do you have a destination in mind, another state that you would like to visit? Schedule that later in the month so you can ask them for a brochure. On vacation day, pack an appropriate snack and enjoy the scenery while browsing your catalog. There is nothing wrong with choosing a few favorite spots for that day when you will have adequate time to visit them.
3. What is there in your life that you would like to achieve for yourself? Write a story or a poem? Draw or color? Make a craft? Get started with your vacation day now. Start with the dream and build on it.
A reminder: choose only one thing for your first mini vacation. You may want to use that option for several weeks and that’s fine. Have fun and let me know about you.
