Adventure close to home,  Adventure with travel,  Trying new things,  Uncategorized

3 reasons you need to make yourself take a vacation!

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You really need a vacation. You know you do. I know you do, but you have all the reasons in the world that it can’t be done. It’s the wrong time. You don’t have enough money. Traveling with family is just so much harder than it was before kids.

Well, I’m here to dispute all of that. You need one now, more than ever! No one else who isn’t in your home all day, every day has real perspective of what you actually have been doing all day, every day. They only see the times you purposefully clear in order to spend time with them. You know your job so well you can do it half asleep; you have, many times. It’s not that you don’t love your job. We really do have incredibly rewarding jobs. It’s just that they’re endless, and often the seemingly the same every day for long stretches. Not to mention that we get the responsibility of all those jobs that literally never end! You know, laundry, dishes, every meal all day. It’s time you got to actually reap the rewards of all that work!

One view from my favorite local spot to sit when I have a minute to myself

Reason 1- Let them grow!

A well-run house is something you should get to enjoy, not one that falls apart because you couldn’t be “on it” every minute of your life.

Older children (not even as old as you might think), and your husband (who is actually a grown up in his own right) should be perfectly capable of doing at least the bare minimum for your home to not completely fall apart in your absence. Remember that your main job is actually to ultimately raise adults who can care for themselves someday. Start encouraging and teaching them now. If you start when they are young you can work with their natural tendency to want to learn!

Reason 2- Mutual appreciation and growth in your home!

This one’s short but very sweet. You will actually become better at caring for your home and family by taking time off! I’m not joking. First, you’ll be in a better mood, less cranky, and have renewed energy generally speaking. Believe me, your family prefers the relaxed and refreshed you. If they don’t there may be bigger problems to consider. Second, it gives you time to reflect on what is most important to you about how you spend your time and resources. You may even come home with new ideas. You’ll also get to see what your children are actually capable of and what they may really need to work on. Not to mention absence making you appreciate them, and them you.

Another view from my favorite local spot to take a moment by myself

Reason 3- Be a better you!

Time to yourself Is likely something you don’t get enough of. Honestly, I strongly believe this is something most people need more of, not just those of us with constant small human companions. It’s the only way to really get to know yourself. Sure, you get to skim the surface through the years, but to be alone with your thoughts allows to understand at a deeper level than you’ll ever get to with everyone else in your ear. When you travel, or even just experience your part of the world in a different way, relaxed enough to really look around it allows you to see the world from a different perspective.

On a more personal level, you get time to assess how life is going. Do you have issues with how your household is going? Are you particularly thankful for something? What do you miss, what are you relieved to leave behind for a little while? This doesn’t even need to be a long get-a-way. Obviously how much time and how far you could go depends immensely on you and your own family. Just don’t forget that you deserve it and need it at least as much as everyone else in your family. It’s even possible to put aside time for yourself while on vacation with your family. Yes, we all want the family time we get when everyone is on vacation together, but it might be worth putting aside some real “me time” too!

This may not seem like much to many, but those who know will understand. I finally got a space to work that feels like a real work space- not just my spot on the couch! It came with a view once I cleaned the webs from inside the window too!) Without some much needed time away opening that window would not have happened!

Seriously, you can do this!

So, go ahead and take that mini vacation, or just an outing by yourself. You’ll come back to kids who might actually get a chance to miss you, and you’ll probably miss them too. Your kids (and husband will learn what they are actually capable of. Last, but not least, you’ll come home refreshed, and hopefully relaxed!

If you are looking for more inspiration you might enjoy this post celebrating making the most of life! Time is like a River!

On the surface I'm a 41 year old wife, and mom to 3 teenage girls. More than that though I am an accumulation of my adventures, and the skills I've gained. As a young woman I became an aviation maintenance technician through a school in S.C. I also lost my mother before I was 5. While my girls were growing up and becoming at least a bit more independent I graduated from the local community college with an associates degree in liberal studies. I've recently been reminded how important it is to continue learning, and following your own pursuits even while busy taking care of every one else.