Or, the benefits of any time off.
For some reason, I lose track of things like taking a break. I just put my head down and plug on. Through the thick stuff. Through the thin. And I enjoy my work immensely. So maybe that’s why I sometimes forget that a little time away is important to keeping the time present fresher.
A few weeks ago, I went to Anmyeondo — a west-coast island about 80 miles to the southwest of where I live — to eat crab with Micha. We both decided that we’d like to come back soon just to spend a little time wandering around the island (it’s about a 50-mile round-trip), so earlier this week I told my office I was taking Thursday and Friday. We found a “pension” (I don’t know why Koreans call it that) that took dogs, threw about a week’s worth of food into a couple of bags, loaded up the car (to include Sommie), and made the trip.
Despite the call for rain on Thursday night, our desire for this time off wasn’t dampened at all. Pensions are somewhat self-contained. The rooms for two are kind of like a studio apartment — living and sleeping area with a kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower. There are two-bedroom versions for larger groups. Quite some time ago I spent a couple of days with Micha and her friends and we divided with all of the men in one room and the women in the other, everyone sleeping on the floor.
Knowing we couldn’t hit any of the restaurants with the dog, we had plenty to eat on our own, and Micha worked it like a pro. I ate like a horse for the past two days, and it’s going to take a little work to get back on the smoothies for sure. Bulgogi, crab ramyon, and curry rice; and whatever else we could pick up snack-wise as we wandered the island.
Beautiful views, beautiful clean air, not a thought for work…I didn’t even work on the blog while I was there (but I still scheduled the last two posts to release on Thursday and Friday). Hopefully this will remind me that every so often I should take a little time off to get away.
