UNPLUGGED
Just got back from Sedona (northern Arizona). Red rocks country. Vortexes. Spectacular views in all directions. We were up there for two full days, arriving late in the afternoon last Thursday and hanging out at Sky Ranch Resort through Sunday morning.
When I packed for the trip, I copied my writing-in-progress to a thumb drive, inserted hard copies of 'fits and starts' into a folder with a notebook of ideas for stories, made room for my new Netbook in the carry-all, and then called the hotel to confirm availability of WiFi. I not only planned to do some Real writing, I planned to log onto FanStory sometime over the weekend, to catch up on all the reading and reviewing I have not been able to find either the time or energy to do lately. Then there was that book I still had to review and journal for BookCrossing, so I threw it into the bag as well. I needed to fit in some practice time before my dance lesson this Tuesday, so I tucked a pair of dance shoes in bottom of the carry-all and made sure my videos were on the Netbook. I had two whole days of leisure ahead of me--two whole days--so I grabbed my knitting bag too, figuring I could perfect the cast-on technique and knit a few practice rows in the evening. At the last minute I stuffed a catalogue into a crevice in the bag, folded open to the page showing the shirts I wanted to order. Surely I would find a minute or two for that simple task. I also intended to use this two-day break to just enjoy time with both my dog and my husband, take a couple of easy hikes, maybe use the pool at the resort, and veg out on the balcony with some Irish coffee and a good Cabernet (not at the same time).
That was Thursday. It's now Sunday. I just unpacked the car. I hauled my carry-all back into the house. Still packed. Nothing disturbed, with the exception of the BookCrossing book, which I finished reading (but didn't journal), and a second book I started reading on Friday, which I finished in the car on the way home today. I actually made time to read! I never unpacked my Netbook. I didn't write. I didn't review. I didn't practice dance moves. I didn't log onto anything, anywhere. I didn't take or make phone calls. I was unplugged, and it was great.
What happened to all my good intentions and my work-ethic-in-overdrive? I'm not exactly sure, but it seems that once I stepped out onto the balcony of our room and absorbed the red rocks' view, my need to be connected to anything other than breathing dissipated. I stopped putting demands on myself. Maybe there's some truth to the energy of the vortexes of Sedona. For two days, I vegged. Me! I vegged! I drank that Irish coffee on the balcony in the morning and enjoyed a glass of wine in the evening; I lay around reading and actually took a nap on Saturday. (I don't sleep, let alone nap.) I went on that hike with the husband and dog. I realized how amazing it is to be unburdened from expectations (especially my own) and how important it is to occasionally unplug oneself from the information overload on the World Wide Web. I felt relaxed --a state of being I couldn't immediately name because I didn't recognize the feeling.
I think I've stumbled across a life lesson here, which I am still processing, so I don't have anything profound to share at this moment. I just want to say that I gained some insight into myself this weekend, some recognition of how exhausted I let myself get (no one to blame here really, but me), and how unrealistic my expectations can be. I'm going to revisit my 'Goals For 2010' list and do a bit of crossing out, and then I'm going to add one more: drink more Irish coffee !
When I packed for the trip, I copied my writing-in-progress to a thumb drive, inserted hard copies of 'fits and starts' into a folder with a notebook of ideas for stories, made room for my new Netbook in the carry-all, and then called the hotel to confirm availability of WiFi. I not only planned to do some Real writing, I planned to log onto FanStory sometime over the weekend, to catch up on all the reading and reviewing I have not been able to find either the time or energy to do lately. Then there was that book I still had to review and journal for BookCrossing, so I threw it into the bag as well. I needed to fit in some practice time before my dance lesson this Tuesday, so I tucked a pair of dance shoes in bottom of the carry-all and made sure my videos were on the Netbook. I had two whole days of leisure ahead of me--two whole days--so I grabbed my knitting bag too, figuring I could perfect the cast-on technique and knit a few practice rows in the evening. At the last minute I stuffed a catalogue into a crevice in the bag, folded open to the page showing the shirts I wanted to order. Surely I would find a minute or two for that simple task. I also intended to use this two-day break to just enjoy time with both my dog and my husband, take a couple of easy hikes, maybe use the pool at the resort, and veg out on the balcony with some Irish coffee and a good Cabernet (not at the same time).
That was Thursday. It's now Sunday. I just unpacked the car. I hauled my carry-all back into the house. Still packed. Nothing disturbed, with the exception of the BookCrossing book, which I finished reading (but didn't journal), and a second book I started reading on Friday, which I finished in the car on the way home today. I actually made time to read! I never unpacked my Netbook. I didn't write. I didn't review. I didn't practice dance moves. I didn't log onto anything, anywhere. I didn't take or make phone calls. I was unplugged, and it was great.
What happened to all my good intentions and my work-ethic-in-overdrive? I'm not exactly sure, but it seems that once I stepped out onto the balcony of our room and absorbed the red rocks' view, my need to be connected to anything other than breathing dissipated. I stopped putting demands on myself. Maybe there's some truth to the energy of the vortexes of Sedona. For two days, I vegged. Me! I vegged! I drank that Irish coffee on the balcony in the morning and enjoyed a glass of wine in the evening; I lay around reading and actually took a nap on Saturday. (I don't sleep, let alone nap.) I went on that hike with the husband and dog. I realized how amazing it is to be unburdened from expectations (especially my own) and how important it is to occasionally unplug oneself from the information overload on the World Wide Web. I felt relaxed --a state of being I couldn't immediately name because I didn't recognize the feeling.
I think I've stumbled across a life lesson here, which I am still processing, so I don't have anything profound to share at this moment. I just want to say that I gained some insight into myself this weekend, some recognition of how exhausted I let myself get (no one to blame here really, but me), and how unrealistic my expectations can be. I'm going to revisit my 'Goals For 2010' list and do a bit of crossing out, and then I'm going to add one more: drink more Irish coffee !