Saturday, March 29, 2025

Day 25: leaving on vacation is stressful

 My battery is blinking red. I need a vacation.  A full stop break from all the things. The problem with vacation is that you have to get yourself to vacation - pack,  clean,  prep,  etc and for me that is 7x. 

And so the stress of getting ready.  Cleaning.  Packing.  Feeding chickens.  And the list was endless.  

And the closer I got to finishing,  somehow the more stressful it felt. I think because I felt the anticipation of letting go and being done and leaving early enough to get a ways down the road and the weight of everything undone.  

But them I was done. I stood at the door sure I had forgotten something. Not wanting to let my future self down. Finally,  I had scoured my brain enough.  I locked the door and got into the car.

A million pounds melted off my shoulders in an instant and I noticed and wondered about that.  



Why does the moment before make it hard to think clearly. And the moment after make it hard to care about anything.  

The moment before I started vacation I was so stressed about forgetting to do something. And the moment after I was like "oh well,  I got a credit card and that's all I need. "

 I have yet to find the spiritual epiphany in this and yet it feels like a spiritual experience.  Something about the limitedness of time that pushes me to do the best i can. 

I worry about doing the best I can. Getting the most out of my kids early years before they grow up,  getting the most out of my body before I age and it starts to fail me, making the most of a beautiful day or a time when someone is babysitting my kids and I need to "enjoy" the time off. 

And then I discover that memories a lovely with big kids and whatever i do with a day off is lovely. 

But the question follows me - am I living this one and precious life well? What does it mean to live well? Am I living my faith? Is that the same thing? 

Today more questions than answers but I have a whole week in the desert to spend with them. It will be good.  

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