Not many things in life make me envious and jealous. A
few do though..and one of them is people around me having vacation even if I am
on vacation myself! That’s how much I
treasure time off. It is funny though I am less envious of the grand travels
like foreign countries and travels to far off places (I just feel badly for the
people packing!)…I am envious of the staycationers and the cottages and the
rentals on beautiful places on the sea. Anything that involves good old family
time…rest and relaxation…and generally no schedule.
I love havingnothing to think of. I love the thoughts
that go through my head that are just silly and random.
Time
for silliness. Space for random.
Like carrying a dinner tray down to the dock last night
and trying to remember which plate was mine and which was his” I am always right” great riddle to remember who’s is whose.
Riddles.Random. Silliness. Bring it on. So different than
my everyday life. Thank goodness for the cottage that provides us this on
vacations and weekends. I cannot think of a better place to be.
That being said what I love about staycations or cottage
vacations is also the time and space in my mind to get down to business (and
not the real business of work that I am fine to ignore for a couple of weeks).
Real life business. Re prioritizing. Getting things right. Doing things
differently. I always always between the
random and silly thoughts make some lists at one point of how to be a better person.
Have a better life…be a better wife..a better mom. Even if I am already
abundantly happy I feel there is always space for more.
I am a firm believer that no matter how happy you are you
always always have to keep being self aware, and moving in a different
direction. Stagnation leads nowhere no
matter how comfortable that place is. I believe in change..discovery..movement..learning..failing..succeeding.
Taking big risks and shaking things up.
So normally I write these things down in various pretty
cottage notebooks and often act on them privately. Or don’t act on them all and
they stay in the pretty notebooks. What I found has more impact lately is writing
them on my blog and having my friends and family and readers ask me how they
are going. Accountability.
So a few of the things I will be doing differently. Some
grander and some mundane:
-going more with the flow. Not even sure what this means
but have been doing this big time in the last two weeks straight daily and man
is it relaxing. Hmmm..Coincidental that I have had no kids for 8 days. Easy to
go with the flow when kids are mostly at camp. If nyou don’t have kids and
think your life is busy? Think again
-flaunting what I have. Getting more back into my body
and my fashion. I feel that since I have turned 40 I have become more
boring..more self-conscious, more inhibited. So far on this vacation I change
outfits three times a day again. Body clinging striped bright tanks with little
bathing suits skirts. Feels good. (I think the game I play with Hubby of let’s look who is over
40 and what has changed about them in last few years is getting to me..Knowing
that he and I have a million things that have aged along with everyone else)
-Order. This is a serious one. Hubby and I already
started doing 5 mins tidy every second of every day and man does it feel good.
4 weeks now and I already feel the clutter in my mind and body shifting.
Uncluttered house equals uncluttered thoughts. I have a long way to go but on
my way there. Watch out kids. Your lives are in for massive change (except your
bedrooms of which I am a firm believer are your own and except for food being
left in there it is your creative space to manage as you see fit with a little
small tidy every couple of days)
-This is the biggest one: days of simplicity. Moving body
every day for 30 minutes/eating nuts fruits and veggies as snacks
everyday/intuitive eating always/ order before and after work at home/putting
time into my looks (aka actually brushing hair to go to work) carrying a pretty
water bottle everywhere (and drinking it).
-Here it goes..if I write it ..it has to happen. Making
curries and start baking. Start being more domestic in general (OMG shoot me
now) But something about this appeals to me!!! I have not figured out why and
how yet but it does. Something is simmering inside of me like a big pot of
lentils.
-Go with the flow. See how important this is I had to
write it twice
-Travel to places other than my cottage. I have some
dreams lately and lots of them before kids get too old and have jobs that hold
us back! I want Boston…and Bali..and leboat.com. I want Turkey and Greece and
the Amalfi Coast in a convertible car. I want Savvy to take us to Outerbanks
and show us her cottage life there and look in the sky at night start bright
(take me one day with you all??). I want Chicago and a house swap in Swiss (any
takers for a beautiful house in the suburbs???)
-I am going to tune in this year to something I have not
fully tuned into in a while. ME. I partially have always done this but not
fully. Downton Abbey, new interests, my framed pictures, cameras, sweet
outfits, plenty of books. Moi.
Basically it all comes down to what I always want and
have a hard time remembering: Back to the basics: some love, some fresh fruit,
some mint from the garden, long walks, yoga, close connections, some good trips
to look forward to, a tidy home, well behaved kids, some major goals and achievements,
minty toothpaste, a good shower gel, kindness and a good read before I turn in.
Oh ya and a bottle of water.
For now that is enough as kayaks are calling me and bread
with both peanut butter and nutella with a banana on the side (why oh why do I
have to be allergic to my favorite food!!!) What I love about my little
staycation list is that it is simple..and whimsical…and not stressed. Did you
notice there is NOTHING about parenting on there???? Could those 165 books I
read have paid off?? (I somehow doubt it it is only because kids are at camp)
Xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxox
Lauren Kate
