Category Archives: rest

On some down time

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Have you just felt sick and tired of work, and you need a break? It’s not that you don’t work, and the exact opposite could be true–you love your job, your co-workers are great, and your business is wonderful. Nevertheless, in order to really do your job, you need to take a moment and not do anything, especially not do anything that is related to what you do at work. Down time is moment during the day in which you have nothing planned, no chores, no duties, no shopping, no errands, no odd jobs. Down time is about taking off for a few minutes and letting your mind just go wherever it wants, and if that place is no where in particular, so be it. Maybe a little music, maybe a few minutes of a favorite movie or television show, perhaps a hot shower or a cold drink–tea, lemonade, whatever. Down time is not about schedules or deadlines, it’s not about accomplishing anything at all. Not all of your hours in a day have to be dedicated to accomplishing something. Often, our Puritan work ethic gives us the guilty treatment if we are not dedicated to getting something done. Just sitting and stewing for a few minutes is seen as wasteful and lazy. Yet, all work and no play make Jack (Earnest) a dull boy. Dedicating a few minutes to flushing a full brain drain is not a wasteful enterprise. You calm your nerves, take a sip of your ice coffee, think about a pleasant moment, relax your hold on the moment, and let your imagination go play off in a corner, by itself. Whose life is it anyway? Down time is curative, therapeutic, soothing, tranquilizing, and medicinal. I’ll bet a bit of down time is every bit as effective as most of chemical tranquilizers that millions of people take every day in hopes of quieting an unquiet spirit. Instead of taking a little down time to reassess the situation, a lot of people just pop another pill in hopes that that will do it. Poor things. When you give yourself the time to think about things, you’d be surprised at how easy most problems are to solve without stress, conflict or tragedy. Down time: when everything stops moving for a little while, and you let the world wash up on the beach of your mind like a lazy tide that has just gone out.

On some down time

Posted on by

Have you just felt sick and tired of work, and you need a break? It’s not that you don’t work, and the exact opposite could be true–you love your job, your co-workers are great, and your business is wonderful. Nevertheless, in order to really do your job, you need to take a moment and not do anything, especially not do anything that is related to what you do at work. Down time is moment during the day in which you have nothing planned, no chores, no duties, no shopping, no errands, no odd jobs. Down time is about taking off for a few minutes and letting your mind just go wherever it wants, and if that place is no where in particular, so be it. Maybe a little music, maybe a few minutes of a favorite movie or television show, perhaps a hot shower or a cold drink–tea, lemonade, whatever. Down time is not about schedules or deadlines, it’s not about accomplishing anything at all. Not all of your hours in a day have to be dedicated to accomplishing something. Often, our Puritan work ethic gives us the guilty treatment if we are not dedicated to getting something done. Just sitting and stewing for a few minutes is seen as wasteful and lazy. Yet, all work and no play make Jack (Earnest) a dull boy. Dedicating a few minutes to flushing a full brain drain is not a wasteful enterprise. You calm your nerves, take a sip of your ice coffee, think about a pleasant moment, relax your hold on the moment, and let your imagination go play off in a corner, by itself. Whose life is it anyway? Down time is curative, therapeutic, soothing, tranquilizing, and medicinal. I’ll bet a bit of down time is every bit as effective as most of chemical tranquilizers that millions of people take every day in hopes of quieting an unquiet spirit. Instead of taking a little down time to reassess the situation, a lot of people just pop another pill in hopes that that will do it. Poor things. When you give yourself the time to think about things, you’d be surprised at how easy most problems are to solve without stress, conflict or tragedy. Down time: when everything stops moving for a little while, and you let the world wash up on the beach of your mind like a lazy tide that has just gone out.

On vacation

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It comes around about twice a year: a moment when I don’t have to get up in the morning and go. That doesn’t sound like much, but after weeks on end of nothing but deadlines, meetings, and the rest, one really appreciates a little down time. For me, vacation is less about going to the beach, or climbing a mountain, or visiting a foreign country than it is having some time to myself when I can do what I want to do. This sounds a lot like complaining, but I’m not complaining. I love my job and when vacation is over, I’ll be right back in the saddle fixing problems, answering emails, and teaching class–happy, in other words. My problem, everyone’s problem probably, is that the day-in, day-out, stress of the routine starts to wear on the nerves after awhile. Breaking free of the office for a few days is, however, great for moral. Sometimes getting away from it all gives you that new perspective that will make everything easier when you return. That is why vacation is such a good thing to do. The daily grind can be a backbreaking routine that just sucks the life out of your spirit. Whenever I get the chance, then, I do something to break up the routine, and believe me, it makes everything a whole lot better. So this is my chance to catch a breath of fresh air, to do some things for myself, be creative, cook a little, take a long winter’s nap. I don’t need excitement or strange places, odd food or dangerous past-times. All I really need is a fresh log to throw on the fire and somewhere to rest my weary feet.

On vacation

Posted on by

It comes around about twice a year: a moment when I don’t have to get up in the morning and go. That doesn’t sound like much, but after weeks on end of nothing but deadlines, meetings, and the rest, one really appreciates a little down time. For me, vacation is less about going to the beach, or climbing a mountain, or visiting a foreign country than it is having some time to myself when I can do what I want to do. This sounds a lot like complaining, but I’m not complaining. I love my job and when vacation is over, I’ll be right back in the saddle fixing problems, answering emails, and teaching class–happy, in other words. My problem, everyone’s problem probably, is that the day-in, day-out, stress of the routine starts to wear on the nerves after awhile. Breaking free of the office for a few days is, however, great for moral. Sometimes getting away from it all gives you that new perspective that will make everything easier when you return. That is why vacation is such a good thing to do. The daily grind can be a backbreaking routine that just sucks the life out of your spirit. Whenever I get the chance, then, I do something to break up the routine, and believe me, it makes everything a whole lot better. So this is my chance to catch a breath of fresh air, to do some things for myself, be creative, cook a little, take a long winter’s nap. I don’t need excitement or strange places, odd food or dangerous past-times. All I really need is a fresh log to throw on the fire and somewhere to rest my weary feet.