I’m Back From My AWESOME Break!

Y’all, I can’t even inform you how a lot I wanted this final week-and-a-half break. I awoke this morning feeling so refreshed, so excited, and so able to get again into the swing of issues. And extra importantly, each little bit of stress and nervousness I used to be feeling a week-and-a-half in the past has fully vanished. It’s wonderful what a little bit of time without work can do for an individual.

Once I final posted, I mentioned that I hoped to return again with a totally completed closet. I additionally mentioned that I’d be on social media throughout my break. Properly, I modified my thoughts. 😀 I had deliberate to provide myself that first Thursday by means of Sunday to chill out, after which to get again to work final Monday. However once I bought up final Monday, I made a decision that point off wants to really imply time without work. My physique wants that. My thoughts wants that. So I went a complete week-and-a-half with out doing hardly any work. I additionally determined that point off wanted to imply time away from social media, and that was amazingly refreshing as properly.

That doesn’t imply I didn’t do something in any respect. Concerning the center of final week, I made a decision that I needed to make these final ten flowers for my closet chandelier. That was a enjoyable, stress-free, non-stressful challenge, and because it’s a artful and inventive challenge, it was the right challenge to do on my break. After which yesterday, I completed placing the chandelier collectively. That was enjoyable, too. You’ll have to provide me a day to get again into the swing of issues (taking photos, modifying photos, and many others.), and I’ll present you the way it turned out tomorrow.

However apart from that, I didn’t do a single factor that could possibly be thought of “work”. And IT. WAS. AMAZING.

How did I spend my time? Properly, I spent quite a lot of time with Matt. We relaxed and watched fairly a little bit of exhibits collectively. (We’re working our manner by means of The Rookie proper now, which is fairly good.) I ate quite a lot of meals that I most likely shouldn’t have, however I didn’t care. (I didn’t prepare dinner one single meal over the past week-and-a-half.)

However largely, I sat at my desk in my studio and I learn. And I learn, and skim, and skim. I can’t even determine what number of hours every day I spent studying. I haven’t spent that a lot time sitting and studying in…properly…ever. And I simply can’t even inform you how refreshing that was. Numerous hours spent simply studying. And since a few of you’ll ask, I used to be largely studying the Bible, i.e., essentially the most intriguing, attention-grabbing, fascinating, encouraging e book ever written. I’ve by no means learn by means of a lot of the Bible in such a brief period of time in my total life, and to learn by means of a lot of it, in context, and in a single lengthy stretch over the course of 11 days, was such a singular, encouraging, and life-giving expertise.

The humorous factor is that once I determined to take time without work, I turned off my morning alarm and gave myself permission to sleep in each day. However do you suppose I did that? Completely not! I feel I slept till 7:00 solely at some point. The remainder of the times, I used to be awake, away from bed, and sitting at my desk at 6:00. And on a few days, I used to be up at 5:30.

There’s simply one thing so wonderful (I’m tempted to make use of the phrase “magical”) about these early morning hours, when the home and the neighborhood is quiet, Matt remains to be asleep, the home remains to be darkish, and I can sneak off to my studio desk and activate my one gentle above the desk, with Cooper curled up sleeping underneath my desk, and my little house heater on preserving me heat (sure, even in the summertime 😁) that I can’t appear to get sufficient of. And I’d somewhat be up and soaking each drop of these hours than spending them in mattress sleeping.

Matt’s day begins at 9:00am every day, which is once I assist him along with his workouts after which put him on his Theracycle, which occupies him for the subsequent three hours. His Theracycle is in my studio proper now, and he likes to hearken to an audio e book whereas on his train bike. However that didn’t cease me from having my quiet solitude at my desk. I handled myself to some Bose noise-cancelling headphones (these are the ones I got — affiliate hyperlink), so whereas he was on his bike and listening to his audio e book, I remained in my very own little world with my headphones on and taking part in this “deep focus” music very softly in my ears. Once more…magical. I’ve by no means used noise-cancelling headphones earlier than, and I used to be amazed at how the world round me actually does fade away when I’ve these on with that music taking part in very softly.

So it was an incredible break, and really wanted. Along with watching TV, spending time with Matt, consuming a lot of meals I shouldn’t have, and studying, I additionally took Cooper for about 100 walks round our property. It was good to have these stress-free breaks all through the day the place Cooper and I might stroll round our giant again yard, and he might mark all the bushes and fence traces😀 whereas I might simply…suppose. There have been no ideas of tasks or to-do lists. No ideas of what I wanted to get completed earlier than I’m going to mattress that evening. Simply nice ideas about random subjects that I had been studying about whereas having fun with nature that surrounded us.

Talking of Cooper, he’s doing rather well. We’ve gotten into a extremely good, manageable schedule along with his meals. I’ve gotten his meals down to 2 a day, and he’s doing nice with that! I feed him the primary time at 9:00am proper earlier than I assist Matt along with his workouts, which really takes about 20 minutes. So the timing is ideal. By the point the timer goes off for Cooper to have the ability to stand up and transfer round once more after consuming (he has to take a seat upright 20 minutes after his meals due to his megaesophagus), Matt and I are completed along with his workouts and we’re able to get Matt on his Theracycle.

After which I feed him the second time whereas we’re consuming lunch, in order that takes no additional time away from my regular work schedule. All of us eat lunch collectively, and Cooper’s 20 minutes are up lengthy earlier than Matt and I are completed with our lunch (or extra particularly, earlier than Matt is completed his lunch). So this new schedule with feeding him twice a day is understanding completely and gained’t take any additional time away from my work schedule as soon as I get again into the swing of issues. And he hasn’t regurgitated on his meals one single time throughout my time without work, so issues are wanting up in that space.

And so far as the “puncture wounds” on his hind finish, I’ve taken him again to the vet twice now for checkups and wound care (nothing emergent, simply usually scheduled checkups after the primary emergency go to for the wound), and he or she mentioned on the second go to that they’re not puncture wounds. They’re from a cyst that burst. That was a aid as a result of so long as I assumed they have been puncture wounds, I used to be afraid to let him out into his yard unsupervised. And that was resulting in quite a lot of my time being required to take him out on his leash each day, which was resulting in quite a lot of my stress. So as soon as I might really begin seeing that the world was therapeutic very properly, I began letting him again out into his yard unsupervised. That has freed up quite a lot of my time as properly.

All of that to say that my time without work was wonderful. I really feel like a brand new particular person this morning. I really feel no stress, no nervousness, and I’m prepared to leap again into issues. I did resolve that I’m going to start out taking time without work like this each summer season. Whereas Matt and I can’t take precise holidays, I’m really form of glad. Holidays and touring could be exhausting, and that’s not what I want. One of these down time that I’ve had over the past 11 days — sitting nonetheless, studying, stress-free — is the precise form of rejuvenation I want, and from right here on out, I’m going to permit myself to do this twice a yr somewhat than simply yearly.

So, I’m again. And as we speak, I’m getting again to work. Keep tuned for my completed closet chandelier tomorrow!

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.