Before leaving for vacation, I struggled with the notion of "taking a week off". The "off" felt as though I was hoping to escape my reality, though the reality of my reality is simple: I love life.
Upon arriving to the vacation house, I was shocked to learn we had no air conditioning. As the Board Chair of the Overheated Americans Association, seeing the thermometer read 88 degrees was a frightening revelation of the week to come.
I could have spent my entire trip inconvenienced. Hell, in my past I would have chosen misery.
But not this time.
Instead I rode a far-too-small bike down Abbott Kinney with coffee sloshing on my sneakers, soaking up the sun and surroundings with a smile on my face.
With a fresh lens, I saw how I wanted to live my life, free from shackles of stressful living. I have learned over this transformative year of my life that I control my stress with my own dial. Eat that, stress.
It's not that I wanted to escape reality, it's that I needed to reframe how I go about every day, vacation or reality. Three powerful takeaways that I will keep at the top of mind - simple, real, and playful.
Though I do not wish to trade my drive for development for the "I could care less" mentality, I do recognize that at this point in my life, I must trust that my drive for development will lead me, that my drive is innate rather than created, that my drive isn't going anywhere if I wake up tomorrow.
I am happy when I smile. When I laugh. When I love. When I don't take myself too seriously. When I don't take others too seriously. When I don't feel the need I am inconvenienced. When I allow for thoughts to free flow. When I look around admiring the beauty of my surroundings. When I am playful.
Game time.
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