Pausing life – The old year was close to an end. Coming from an exciting time and heading towards even more gripping times. Theoretically, the only thing that changes after New Year’s Eve is the date. But emotionally, everybody goes crazy about retrospectives, making resolutions, and planning more than they can handle. Not so much my cup of tea. Life goes on and on, and throws challenges at you, no matter the date on the paper. Life doesn’t give you break unless you simply take it.
We decided to use the holidays between Christmas and New Year’s to gather with some friends and the kids. The destination was a guest house in a village, one hour from Sofia. We already used it for the exact same purpose during the summer. Six adults, three kids, a garden, a barbecue, and a cozy house to leave all cares behind. And to cap it all, the weather made December feel like Mid-March. The air out there is wonderful. When you live in such a crowded and dirty city like Sofia, you sometimes forget, that there is something existing called silence. It’s like unplugging from the Matrix but in the opposite direction. You feel extraordinarily relaxed. However, in the first instance, you don’t know the reason for that sudden change of atmosphere. Until you realize that the constant noise of traffic and bypassers is missing. Pure tranquility with a pleasant pinch of birds chirping and a light breeze letting the remaining leaves in the trees flutter. When I realized this, my whole village-kid-being came back in a sudden.
But there shouldn’t be nice warm weather without a nice hot barbecue and nice cold drinks. That was basically the main concept of the 4 days stay. Doing nothing, but if something was done, it had to be cooking, eating, drinking, and hanging around. Of course, exceptions can always be made. A little walk around the village or even a hike to the old monastery on the mountain, offering a great view into the valley. Whoever wanted to join could, but was never frowned upon if they wouldn’t. When you have the time to reject whatever you don’t feel like doing, you should take the opportunity.
Painting a perfectly careless picture doesn’t take the biscuit, however. Obviously, we didn’t book the all-inclusive package. And being in charge of little kids is a 24/7 job anyway. But sharing all of this with a bunch of friends makes it pretty bearable. Cleaning dishes, supervising the grill, or preparing a salad, everyone is doing a bit of everything and it’s done in a blink of an eye. And only the fact of changing the environment for a few days already changes your stress perception.
So, why am I telling you this? I guess it’s supposed to be a small reminder, that taking time off from the daily routine keeps you sane and healthy. I wouldn’t even say once in a while, I would insist on whenever possible. You don’t have to raise an excessive amount of financial burden for that. On the contrary, the less the better. It makes everything simpler and easier to enjoy. This comes also with the fact, that you shouldn’t force anything. What’s happening there happens, and what doesn’t happen wasn’t necessary anyway. You don’t have to take the best picture to show off your perfect vacation. You don’t need to run after every available attraction just to figure out that you couldn’t enjoy a single one because of rushing. Rushing is for the workweek. Leave it behind.
That’s it, my petty thought about balancing the daily routine with an even temper. There is no need to hasten away from mental health. Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, and relaxed new year. Take a break, invert your everyday world, pause life.