Three weeks ago, my post explained that I was taking a short break from this blog because my mom and sister were visiting. Their arrival began a fairly long stretch of non-stop guests. They left the afternoon January 23. That evening we hosted, at our home, a dinner for 7 members of a family we know from our time living in Missouri. They were staying elsewhere in the area, but it was great to see them. Their children are young adults and we had a delightful time getting to know them all in a way we never had before.
The following day I trekked back to the Punta Gorda airport to fetch Randy’s sister, Lynn. We’re now more than halfway through her 2-week visit. Lynn is my best friend and is, honestly, the lowest maintenance guest who ever comes to stay at Grathen’s Last Resort. I thoroughly enjoy having her here. She leaves on Friday and on Saturday her sister, Kristine (Randy’s oldest sister), and Kristine’s husband, Gary, arrive for about 10 days.
Not writing this blog for those three weeks has been noteworthy. Like being on vacation, but not really vacation, interesting. And I’ve realized some truth about my life during that time. I discovered that vacations, and a break from work, are very different.
I started this blog because I thought, all my life, that I wanted to write. Not fiction so much, but just recording words and ideas. In high school I took journalism classes and ended up as the feature editor of my high school newspaper. I was also the editor of my junior college newspaper (such that it was). I’ve always had a passion to keep people informed (as opposed to entertained as in fiction), and it turns out that I’m pretty good at it.
Throughout my adult life I’ve volunteered to write newsletters, created and maintained several blogs, wrote operating instructions and procedure manuals, composed thousands of memos, and used the skill God gave me in communicating to help keep people informed and instructed. I wouldn’t say it’s a compulsion, but I seem to have a lot to say (like it or not) so I’ve always sought out ways to reach people in larger numbers than one-on-one.
Now, in retirement, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to tell people, but I knew I’d have plenty of time to write, if I felt compelled to do that. This blog was the impetus to simply get in the habit of writing regularly. I’ve done that, writing on deadline twice a week, for almost three years now, only taking one previous very short break when we went on the Panama Canal cruise vacation in November 2023.
There are days when I sit down to write, the blog is almost late, and I still don’t have a clue of a topic. That early newspaper training is valuable because in those instances, the deadline works to my advantage. Sometimes I think what I write at the last minute like that is just crap, but I’m surprised when I get feedback saying it’s one of my best blogs. ‘Course it’s usually Randy who tells me that, but he’s a fairly good judge, so I give a heavy sigh of relief and thank God that deadlines motivate rather than paralyze me.
Last week when I still wasn’t sure when I’d start writing regularly again, I began to have bits and pieces of ideas for things to write about. A lot of bits and pieces. That’s how I knew it was time to start writing again.
I also realized how important it is to take a sabbatical, not a vacation, every once in a while. They’re quite different. A vacation can really wear one out, especially if you try to cram too much to see and do into the experience. A sabbatical is designed to be a break from work. They’re thought of as opportunities to explore personal growth, find inspiration for business growth, and develop new skills. Sabbaticals are supposed to be a time of renewal in a way that vacations seldom are.
I found that to be true in this case. When you take a vacation, there’s always that thought in the back of your mind that your time away is short-term, temporary, and you’re going to go back to face the same thing you’re escaping from for a week or two. During a sabbatical, stepping away from your job feels different. The intent is different. Without the certain return date it feels more like the actual break it’s designed to be, and a break seems to do a world of good. It may just be a trick your head plays on you. A certain return date within 30 days or so doesn’t feel like a break. An unknown return date past 30 days absolutely feels like a break.
I didn’t really miss writing while I was gone, but my routine was disrupted. My week ebbs and flows to the deadline of my Tuesday and Friday blog posts. So, waking up on Tuesday morning to the sound of the waste management trucks making their rounds, and not having to go right to my computer really messed with my head. Yet I prevailed.
What I learned about myself, and it surprised me, is that I was actually anxious to sit down and start writing again, and that’s a great place to be. Even though I’ve been writing for almost three years, I haven’t put a dent in the things I want to say. This post isn’t particularly revelatory, or probably even interesting for you, dear reader, but for me it was eye-opening and encouraging.
So if you’re reading this, thanks for hanging with me over the break. There’s a lot to explore and I’m grateful you’re on this journey with me!
P.S. I still have another 2 weeks of house guests. They’re all people I like very much, but they know that by staying here with us, they’re always in danger of becoming a part of a blog post. <Wink, wink> That keeps them on their very best behavior.
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