One of my rituals for each new year is to choose a word to influence me for the year. My word for 2011 is EXPERIMENT. To support my EXPERIMENTAL focus, I commit to post the results of a new experiment each Sunday of this year.
My experiment this week was very simple, but it wasn’t easy. I took a five-day vacation at Home. I prepared just like I was going away:
- cleared my calendar;
- cleaned my house;
- and wondered what would happen next – with that whole anxiety/excitement blend.
It was an amazing week. Every morning, I woke up and figured out what I wanted to do THAT DAY. I didn’t have a list. I didn’t fill every moment. I did exactly what I wanted – nothing more; nothing less. That was the simple part. The UNeasy part was how the shoulds and ought-tos tried to sneak in along with the instinct to plan for days that weren’t THAT DAY. I gave it my best shot though.
- Monday – I listed some items on EBay.
- Tuesday – I signed-up for a free month of NetFlix and watched five movies in one day. Yep, FIVE.
- Wednesday – I said YES to the people who knocked on my door and offered to clean my carpet for free. I said NO to them when they offered to sell me a great vacuum cleaner.
- Thursday – I had breakfast with a friend, ran some errands and then read an entire novel.
- Friday – I had breakfast with another friend and then had a gal pal play date with two other friends. And while it seemed like the rest of the world was gearing-up for Harry Potter, I held my own private farewell celebration for a TV show I have loved for years – Friday Night Lights.
In betwixt and between, every day I: prayed; meditated; practiced yoga; rested; exercise; connected with people I love; listened to great music; played with Blossom and cooked some fabulous meals.
I also decided that I’m going to be more deliberate about taking vacation days at home every week. There really is no place like it.
How do you take vacations at home?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
Staycations are great when you don’t let regular life get in the way!!! Good for you!
And I’m striving to make my weekends vacation time at home beginning September 1.
YAY YOU, Judi!
http://artfulrabbit.com/?p=1687 Hi Lisa! I may not always get to respond but I always read and love, love, love your blog. You make me think and smile all at the same time! Staycations are wondrous things. I have turned my yard into my sanctuary and I don’t need to go anywhere for days on end. I love the fact that I have green walls and wonderful places to sit and just be. I find myself sort of flummoxed when I rejoin the faster world after a self-imposed and wonderful time out. After your staycation did rejoining the world out there seem a little strange?
I’m like Rox–when I go out the back door, I can feel like I’m escaping to where I really want to be. Gardening is such a meditative experience for me, but it’s “meditation in motion”! I find it hard to just “relax”, in the ordinary sense of the word, when I’m out there. I can hardly read, write, or draw, because my eye is constantly seeing things TO DO. As I am doing them, though, I feel more “at one with the universe” than at any other time. I know that sounds “hokey”, but….that’s how it is!