Refuel

It has been WEEKS since I have written!  Well, not technically.  I write all the time, but it has been weeks since I have officially shared on my blog.  My computer at home has been a pain in the butt and truthfully I have also not even been home much at all, work and life have been crazy, per usual.  The stress that was going on pre-wedding was insane but then I feel like when we got home from our honeymoon all these things that were left un-done at work, home, etc were just slamming us,  so I feel like I am NOW (two months later) just starting to catch up a little bit.

Sunrise run

I was lucky enough to have a “staycation” the week before last to give myself a little re-set and refuel before the students come back and the Fall season of craziness begins.  It is something I have done since my second year here at AU and I always look forward to it. I almost look forward to a stay-cation more than a regular vacation.  It gives me time to enjoy my home, my patio, my community and get re-organized.  It is usually the time were I do a lot of reflecting on where I want the school year to go, I read a lot, I re-organize and deep clean our house…overall it’s kind of like a “get your sh*t together” kind of week.

napping at Shain’s parents

Do you ever have that feeling where you have so much stuff to do or so many lingering projects on your to do list that you have a hard time focusing on anything at all?   That is how I am, which is why taking time like this is so important for me to be a productive human.  If Shain and I happen to have a busy weekend and we don’t have time to do our weekly clean, cook and chill out Sunday- I feel like my WHOLE week is off and behind.  So having a whole week to work on projects and cross off things off that to do list, make me feel like I am ahead of the game.

I am very lucky because we get 4 weeks paid vacation every year on top of personal days at AU and I USE the heck out of it.   I am also very lucky because my boss allows us to use the heck out of it. Unfortunately, not every department is that way here.

There were a lot of “Didn’t you just take a honeymoon a month ago? And now you are taking another week off?” comments, which I will be honest, always leave me feeling a little guilty and frustrated.  But I know my work ethic and I know what I deserve, so I have to be better about letting comments like that go.  I plan my vacation time months in advance to be sure I am prepared and things are taken care of.

There is no way I could just jump into the first few weeks of school (which consist of a lot of long days due to student worker training and just general craziness) without having a full tank.  I want to be good at what I do, I want to put forth my best effort, I refuse to just go through the motions and collect a paycheck.  That is never who I have been or ever will be.  But I can only be my best if I take care of myself and refuel, especially if it is a benefit that I am lucky enough to have!

Cocktail on the patio, can’t go wrong

How often do you “refuel”?  Once a month?  Once a year?  You do not have to be blessed with ample vacation time to do so, sometimes it means just saying no to things and reserving that time for yourself and for your family to just BE.   Maybe it is 15 minutes a day, maybe it is once a week you allot for nothing.  I am sure your first response to this is,  “I don’t have time for that”.  I totally get it, I  have a full time job,  a part time job,  grad school and many other responsibilities that take up time and make this difficult, so it has to be a conscious effort.   I cannot tell you how many awkward conversations I have had when somebody asks me to do something and I have no excuse as to WHY I cannot do it, but that was my day/night/afternoon to myself…so I just have to say no.   And then sometimes I really suck at saying no because my guilt gets the best of me.  Taking time for YOU will make you a better employee, parent, spouse and friend, I guarantee it.

We live in such a fast pace world, and most of us have come to accept that this is just how it is.  Running around all day from one thing to the next.  But don’t you want to enjoy your life?  Don’t you want to be GOOD at whatever it is you are doing?  You can’t do that, unless you refuel that tank.

Stay blessed in the mess 🙂