I’m on the last day of my first no-logging-into-work-real-vacation in more years than I would like to admit. I work for a wonderful employer who offers me all the vacation I need, but I’ve simply chosen to take half vacations where I work a little bit each day to keep up with things. It works for me. And to be perfectly honest, I’ve quite possibly avoided taking full on vacations because I worry how much I will enjoy it and how much it will make me miss how my life was before Work.
I was a stay at home mom for many years. Stay at home momming is where my heart is. It’s my calling. The time I spent being at home with my kids and all the things that came with that? Those were the best days. These days are good too. I have a Job because I found something I love and it was my husband’s time to be a stay at home dad.
All the same, on this, the last day of my vacation, I’ve been thinking about what I would do if my husband and I didn’t need to earn an income. If all our needs were met, we had no debt, we had the freedom to do what we wanted, we lived in relative comfort, what would we do? Well, I would no longer work for someone other than myself, for starters.
Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. And in fact, I am looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow. I love interacting with people, I enjoy helping people use WordPress, and I get a huge charge out of working with and guiding aspiring Happiness Engineers through their trials. But, I came to this work from a need to earn a living, not because working with software and doing support is my calling. I’m just fortunate that something I am good at and something I enjoy is something that is valuable enough to someone that they pay me to do it.
But what would I do if I could choose regardless of any considerations around money?
I would continue to travel, but probably extend that travel to places that are harder to get to and maybe not always in my travel trailer, like Alaska, India, and everywhere in SOuth America.
I would learn how to art better. I would learn how to paint, I would sketch more, get back into pottery.
I would garden.
I would read novels.
I would engage more with my kids. (I would probably just do all of the aforementioned things with my kids 🙂 )
Once I ran out of those things (and probably somewhere along the way) I would find other things to do, new passions or old passions rekindled. Maybe I would start doula-ing again but for free to women and families that couldn’t pay for it. Maybe I would have the space to be more active in a local community like our local WordPress community. Maybe I would find some way to help homeschooling families.
But for now, I will get back to work tomorrow and someday soon I will take another no-logging-into-work-real-vacation.
Karen Alma 
I love no-logging-into-work vacations because they allow me the mental space to fully reconnect with my passions and hobbies. Not that I’m very good at disconnecting! Thank you for the reminder. 🙂
Yes, agreed! In this short week I’ve done that a bit. I can’t wait for my sabbatical next year now 🙂
I’ve been trying to re-engage with the Not Work™ things in my life. Drawing, painting, photography. It’s not easy, but I think it’s important. And sometimes completely disconnecting for awhile helps you find and appreciate those things again. As Rachel said, thanks for the reminder 🙂
yeah, seems like the only time I have time for it is when I don’t fill all the extra space in my brain with work.
dont learn to paint, just do it. it is the ultimate freeing experience to be without rules!!!!!~
i never ever thought i could be an art person until i just finally tapped into that section of my brain. i always thought, i cant draw, and you bet i cant!..but art is art. creation! im really an abstract lover at heart. concrete is too much inside the rules ha. i love using concrete vs abstract to write metaphorical stuff…anyhoo…
i owe my friend my gratefulness for tapping me into this finally. i remember i loved painting in elementary school but avoided art in highschool because of this lie i told myself – you cant draw, youre no artist. one of my landlords a few years ago saw my display of different painting hung up and said, youre an artist (commenting not only on my paintings but added compliments to my style and decor)…what a spark of light he caused from saying that to me.. – i lokk back and remember, his comments really perplexed me.
So now after just that first experience years back with paint (thanks to an amazing lovley friend of mine), i see everything about my life and being to be simple and so full of art. (and i could write 500 words on my definition of art but not today.. yet).. i could go on and on about how the inner genious in all people can allow them to tap into their “art brain” but i wont because that’s somewhat compiled in my posts.
…i stopped reading when i saw your comment “learn to paint” … dive in woman..its the most gratifying experience learning it in your OWN raw natural way…it all starts with one dollar store canvas
…
My blog is Mederium
..take a peek! 🙂
You raise a good point. I know it’s not so much in the learning, but in the doing. But the doing takes time and physical space. But I know it’s there for me. Waiting. I’ll get there 🙂
u will, for sure..another adventure awaiting you!!!