He would really, REALLY like to find an hour to steal a nap because he stayed up way too late last night ! LOL !
Unfortunately, that's not going to happen today. We have clients coming later this afternoon and lots of prep work to get done before we welcome two more new horses the middle of this week. But it doesn't change the fact that taking adequate time for oneself is a necessary part of achieving long term sustainability (and avoiding burn-out) in any business. I have no desire whatsoever to replicate the farmers of my grandfather's generation who bragged that they had never missed a milking and had never taken a full day off. I really think those old folks were made of tougher stuff than we are.
Achieving actual time away that involves both Melissa and I is by far the most difficult thing to accomplish. We usually aim for a week's vacation, usually at the beach on the Alabama Gulf Coast, usually some time in June, which is the slowest time of year for us here in the mid South on the farm. Neither one of us is particularly enamored of the beach as a vacation destination, but my in-laws have a beautiful condo down there, and there is lots of leisure time activities that one can pursue if one wishes to do so. My favorite leisure time activity is sitting under an umbrella with a book and a series of cold beverages until the need for sleep overtakes me. Sometimes I make it a whole hour before I start drooling out the corner of my mouth ! LOL ! Since the beach is a six hour drive, it's far enough away to feel different but it's close enough that we could get home quickly in a real emergency.
We also usually manage to achieve a couple of one or two night trips away together every year. We're fortunate to live in a place that offers a lot of diverse attractions within a couple of hours drive, and over the years we've done our best to take advantage of this. As horsey as it is and as pretty as it is, the one place I'm not interested in spending any leisure time in the near future is Lexington, KY. Until a few months ago, I was the TN rep for animal health giant Alltech, Inc. ( as in 2010 Alltech FEI Games). As far as it goes, Alltech was a great company to work for, but their worldwide HQ is in Nicholasville, KY, just outside Lexington. For the past five years, I have averaged nearly four weeks a year in downtown Lexington hotels and I'm kind of burned out on the place.
Most days, one of the good things I try to do is take a short nap after my noon meal. A half hour's rest makes the afternoon go better, IMO ! Melissa and I are both avid readers, and we put in a lot of time, especially on winter evenings, quietly sitting for hours on end with a good book in our favourite chairs. Of course, Melissa also spends considerable time with her horses, but I've dealt with that at some length in our other blog.
What do you do for rest and relaxation ? Since everyone is different, what would a balanced life look like to you ? I am most curious about this !
Hope everyone has a great Sunday afternoon !
Carrots
3 days ago
3 comments:
Actually? I head to Lexington, or that general area... but you don't want to hear about that.
We try to get one long weekend a month out of town within about 5 hours driving distance. Especially in the spring and fall when home maintenance projects aren't in full swing. When that fails, we always take Sunday afternoon off.
Because my husband is "retired" he always encourages people to stop by and visit. He says if no one stops, he works too hard. Then he'll get day that everyone stops, and when I get home from the office, he complains about all the interuptions he had that day.
He doesn't "get" the concept of vacationing at home because he's there all.the.time.
I prefer not to go away as often since the weekend is the only time I get to putter around and enjoy our home.
I'd very much enjoy hearing about OTHER people's experiences in Lexington and environs ! :)
Actually, I enjoyed it when Melissa and I went up there farm hunting last November, but I equate most of the venues around Lexington with work, rather than with pleasure. I expect that will change over time.
Incidentally, we came *this* close to buying a beautiful 200 acre property just north of Harrodsburg with three horse barns and divided into paddocks for roughly the same $ per acre as we paid for bare ground down here two months later.
I'm late on this, but, errrr, I embroider. I am the least likely embroiderer you'll ever meet, but it's an excellent hobby for long cold winter nights.
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