Over the last number of years, I started to look at life with different lenses..
What once seemed crystal clear became a bit foggy, slightly out of focus, what seemed obvious and acceptable, became questionable, became something worth questioning.
The “what if” question that I love so much, became more and more prevalent in my mind, what if opened a few windows in my mind, and the genesis of what I called the One Hour Holiday was born.
Whilst I was enjoying my work, I was also starting to question my purpose, meaning, reason of being and while trying to make sense of it all I was trying to understand what were the things I that I could do to change things around, to make some amends, to move the dial to a more interesting spot on the wall clock that was my life.
The ticking minutes eating into my existence on planet earth - don't want to sound too morbid....- but the fleeting nature of our life, made for a very interesting reflection and a starting point.
So, I started to think, perhaps like most of us: "What do I really want to do with my time?"
In straight after “When do I have time?”
I started dissecting my weeks to see where did my time go?
Unsurprisingly, most of it, was dedicated to work.
Granted, I've always done something such as sport outside of work to “keep me going” and of course family time, raising kids and everything that comes with being a grown up!
But something kept gnawing at me, something didn't feel quite right.
What felt a bit odd was the lack of clarity when trying to do something enjoyable, something on a regular basis, something that would really allow my brain, my mind, to have that rest that I really needed.
Holidays.
Oh yes, that's when I can really switch off.
Really "let the hair down”, do things that I would not do when “at home” really let go and enjoy the well-deserved rest.
But really the first few days of the holiday are taken by the winding down, and the last few are informed by the dread or having to go back to the routine.
So, the few days in the middle, really are the ones.
Are the ones that allow my mind to take stock, to get nourished, to relax, to wind down, to become a bit creative.
That's a lot of pressure on the mind, to have to deal with so much in such a small and limited amount of time.
It got me thinking about this time off that we cherish so much.
The holidays, that we deserve, with EARNED IT, that's what we say to ourselves:
WE’VE EARNED IT.
I started to write a list of all the things that I like doing when on holiday and this is what I came up with:
· Relax
· Eat different food
· Read
· Write
· Meet new people
· Draw
· Discovering new places
· Explore
· Swim
· Run
As I looked back at the list, I thought:
“I can do most of these things without waiting to go on a holiday!”
“I can do these things when I'm near my home and I can do them every day!”
At that's when I began to put aside an hour every day for my holidays.
The One Hour Holiday was born.
That was six years ago, and I'm still practising it daily.
PS
As I’m writing this I’m enjoying an early coffee in the sunshine 5 minute’s walk from my house.
(From One Hour Holiday, by Andrea Splendori)