i’m on break
a true story about being on break
Back when we lived in Chicago (feels like approximately a century ago), there was a co-op grocery store in our neighborhood. A colleague of mine was once in the checkout lane when the cashier walked away mid-transaction. After awhile, my colleague went to the service desk to inquire after her, and when her manager called her to the desk to ask why she had left, she replied, “I’m on break.”
And “I’m on break” has become a running joke in our family, used whenever one is asked when caught not doing what is expected of them.
That store had a tagline that ran along the lines of “A deep passion for good food.” Clearly, they were not known for being as passionate about their customer service—to the point that another colleague of mine said the second half of the tagline was, “An abiding hatred for our customers.”
I feel the opposite way about my clients: I adore them and regularly learn as much (or more) from them as they do from me. Many of them have become friends with whom I’ve stayed in touch over the years. In some ways, even when I’m on vacation, I’m never on break from them—and it’s a pleasure, not a burden.
i’m on break
That said, in August, I’m planning to fulfill a longstanding dream—to take a real break from work. (OMG, for a doer like me, just saying those words is anxiety-producing!)
It’s an important time of transition for me as my two kids will both be leaving the nest for their respective schools—I will be an empty nester for real for the first time—and I want to make this transition as intentionally and mindfully as possible.
Part of that involves figuring out what I’m transitioning toward, not just away from.
what i’m doing on break
Well yes, I might have to say “on break” in Chris Farley quotes!
I will still be meeting with clients because consistency is everything when you’re on a health journey—and I’ll be taking a break from a lot of the “busy work” of the practice, such as blogging, podcasting, and participating daily on social media. (No, seriously, this is huge! I’ve been blogging weekly for four years and seven months, and it’s hard to break that streak.)
I’ll be doing a little work on some larger creative projects for my practice as well as doing some fun side projects, such as creating websites for a few of my friends and colleagues in the coaching world—because I enjoy it.
Obviously, I’ll be spending some quality time with my kids and helping them make the transition to their new lives.
And I’ll be spending two weeks in my beloved home state of Vermont! As lovely as Michigan can be, as Bilbo Baggins says, “I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains!”
warning: detour ahead
(It is road construction season, after all.)
Speaking of the Hobbit/LOTR world, if you are a fan and haven’t yet heard: Merry and Pippin now have their own podcast! Catch Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan on The Friendship Onion—10 out of 10 would recommend this romp through a wide range of topics, somewhat surprisingly including some pretty good advice on healthy habits. So I’ll be catching up on that bit of fun.
Can you tell my brain’s already on break?
make the connection
The next blog post will be up in early September and may well be a “what I did on my summer break” back-to-school-type piece. In the meantime, I’m sending out lots of good energy for the rest of your summer. And remember, whatever the pandemic does next, there are lots of opportunities to re/claim your health and boost your energy and your immune system for the colder weather to come: I invite you to take advantage of one or more of my offerings this fall!
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