This past weekend I disengaged. From pretty much everyone. My husband took our kids to his mom’s house while he went on a golfing trip. Our boys love to spend a few days there every summer with Grandma. They work on art projects together, follow the peacocks around, look for her evasive cats, connect with nature and play in the dirt. Her farm is a little boy’s paradise!
Knowing they were happy, safe and having fun, I fully relaxed into three days of blissful abdication of all my caretaking responsibilities (except, of course, for my two dogs, but since they sleep a lot, eat only twice a day and keep most of their complaints to themselves they don’t really count).
I got work done, errands run, exercised, ate foods that required no cooking, and organized my work space. I even snuck in some shopping at an eclectic studio/boutique that I’ve been curious about for awhile, but never had a chance to visit. (The Junque Drawer in Olathe…check it out!)
Mostly I did those other things so I could report to my family that I had actually done something besides sit in front of the TV all weekend watching the first season of the show “Glee.” I received the DVD set as a door prize at a writer’s event I attended earlier this year. After all the news about Cory Monteith dying (very sad), I dug it out of my storage ottoman and decided to watch. Now, my problem is I can’t seem to stop watching it.
This hasn’t happened to me since my husband and I (pre-children) buried ourselves in the mobster HBO hit “The Sopranos” years ago. We shamefully spent an entire weekend watching the first couple of seasons on DVD and continued to watch it religiously every season until the bitter end.
Anyway, I enjoyed my retreat with “Glee” and all of its comical and tangled up high school musical melodrama. Overall, the weekend helped restore my creative spirit and energy. There’s nothing like a creating space around yourself to slow down, put life into perspective and better appreciate the loved ones in our lives. Sort of like disengaging to reconnect.
What would you do with a weekend all your own?
Can’t get away for a whole weekend? Take an hour or two instead. Try these ideas on for size:
Disconnect from social media. I love Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but sometimes I intentionally turn off these applications for a day to focus on the people right in front of me.
Enroll in a class. An art or cooking class can take you outside the run-of-the-mill routine. You’ll come home revived and excited about something new you learned.
Take a hike. Find a trail you’ve been wanting to explore and take a walk. Nature calms tensions and the exercise revitalizes.
Shop. Seek out some local stores and boutiques to browse in.
Create. Grab your journal, art supplies, sewing or scrapbooking materials and lock yourself away for a couple of hours to indulge in your own creative pursuits.
Play on Pinterest. When you aren’t taking a break from social media, Pinterest can be a fun way to check out for a little while. From fashion to home reno and delicious recipe ideas, you’ll find all kinds of clever ideas to pin to your boards.
Photo: Taken in the Sandhills of Nebraska…talk about a way to disengage from society! Truly God’s country out there.
Christa~ I am a friend of Carol’s and I would like to spend a weekend out there at her farm doing the same thing that your little boys get to do with her. I have told her she needs to do a woman’s weekend out there so we can get re-energized. We can do an art project, cooking class and chase the peacocks around too…ok-maybe take pictures of them. Enjoyed your blog! Have a great summer.
Hi Tammey, I agree with you! Carol’s place is the perfect set-up for a girls weekend! Thanks for reading and for your comment! 🙂