Work Better by Taking a Break

by -

 

Kylie 3 Nov 2012For the first time since I started writing my blog years ago, I did not post an entry last week.

My mind just completely shut down. I mean it completely turned off, 100%.

I could not think at all, much less write anything. Actually, I did have one thing on my heart to write, but it was not on topic for a career blog.

It was an obituary for our precious pooch, Kylie. Our beloved four-legged daughter has been my office-mate, constant companion, editor-in-chief and security detail while I work from home. The house is beyond quiet without her.

Even if you are not a pet lover, you can appreciate the myriad feelings one endures with the loss of a loved one.

We are heart-broken even though we had a feeling her time with us was coming to an end. It just happened much sooner that we expected.

After several days and nights nursing her, taking her to the vet, holding her paws, stroking her head and anticipating what we knew we had to do, I was exhausted. Writing and working were just not in the cards.

So I took a break, only working on projects with a deadline or those that required little creative energy.

Sometimes we all need – and deserve – a break from work and our routine. It could be that we’ve experienced something as serious as a death in the family, or maybe we’ve had a stressful few months at the office without a vacation day.

Either way, it’s good to recognize when you need time away.

Usually I’m one to put my head down and keep on going. I’ve always thought it was better to “be strong”.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that breaks are a good idea. They can be short, such as a long weekend. Or if you’re like me and work spills over, take a weekend and simply don’t work. Plan something fun, maybe take a day trip or sit at the park and watch the world go by.

The point is to do something different; something to clear your mind.

Especially if you’ve lost a loved one, I find that it’s best to get out of the house to process things, then come back and start moving forward. You will actually work better if you take a break. It allows you to regain your focus much quicker than without taking a break.

Word of caution: Eventually, and I mean sooner rather than later, you must get back to work. This is for your own good.

It’s difficult to sit at my computer without my loveable four-legged editor looking at me, begging for a treat.

Yet I go on, knowing she’s with me in spirit. And I know that’s what she would want me to do.

Change of Scenery

by -

Lake Tahoe

Vacation is here and I’m so ready for it! I’ve got books to read, magazines to catch up on and the resort is calling my name. Our friends are already there waiting for us, texting us photos of themselves relaxing by the pool.

Truth is I’m not ready. Why does vacation always sneak up on me like this?  It’s not like we’ve had the reservations for months or anything.

Okay, we did make the reservations months ago. This should be no surprise since it’s an annual trip at the same time of year.  For eight years.

What are we going to do? First there’s packing.  Then we’ve got to buy food for our house-sitter as well as dog food.  There is laundry to do before we pack.  Make sure mom has what she needs before we leave.  Take care of bills too; heaven forbid we forget to pay something.

Whew; I’m tired just thinking about it.

Not to mention work.  What’s the saying?  You work a week’s worth of overtime just getting ready for vacation, then another week of overtime when you get back so you can catch up.

Is a vacation really worth all this effort?

Absolutely, unequivocally, 100% yes.

We all need a change of scenery every once in a while.  The chance to look at a different view and experience something new; to get out from under our daily routine.   The freedom from everyday distractions can be refreshing.

At home, Hubby and I find ourselves so focused on things that “need to be done” that we forget to stop and just relax.  Vacations, no matter how short, offer us the opportunity to forget about our responsibilities for awhile.

Hubby and I take this very seriously.  We feel so strongly about it that we even found a way to make this happen when both of us were laid off.  Doesn’t have to be a week; even a day trip can be rejuvenating.

As a writer, I find that staying at my desk too long stifles me.  Writing is based on experiences, after all, and how can I have any experiences if I’m chained to an office?

So we’re off to relax, rejuvenate and read.  I hope you have a vacation planned too – you deserve a change of scenery.

Weekend Getaway

by -

Tahoe mountain pic

We always talk about “getting away for a weekend”.  Talk, talk, talk – we talk A LOT about it.  Yet it’s something Hubby and I seldom do.

There’s always a million little reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t or don’t take a weekend.  Work. Money. Family. Work.  I could just type “work” over and over again as the real reason behind our inability to get away.  It’s just too difficult to power down for even a few days.  And even more difficult to face the hundreds of emails when we return.

Fed up, I finally decided to do something other than talking about a long weekend.  Hubby had a birthday coming up and I planned a weekend out-of-town as an early present.

It was hard to lock in a date, agree to power down for the weekend and just relax.  Fear crept in as the date approached with both of us wondering how we would ever get our work done.

What if someone needs us? How long would it take us to bounce back? Would we actually turn-off and relax? COULD we actually do it? Or had we forgotten how to enjoy a few days of R&R?

I had the added stress of leaving mom, who had taken a nasty tumble and was not yet 100%.   Even the doctor reassured me she would be fine.

Well, let me tell you something. It was just like riding a bike. We remembered how to relax.  And it was awesome!

Aside from taking tons of photos and sharing on social media, that was it.  No work emails.

Going into this, we had a few goals.  Play golf.  Hike.  Sit on the side of a mountain and watch the world go by.

Check, check and check.

The best part?  We were able to clear out minds for a few days and let other thoughts enter. 

Sitting on a rock on the side of a mountain, we talked and listened to birds and just enjoyed the breathtaking view.  With undivided attention we shared thoughts and ideas with each other in the calm of the day and both came away inspired, actually ready to get back to work.

Weekend getaways should be required for everyone, whether you’re working or looking for work.  They can bring out the best in a person; mainly a fresh perspective.

Look at me; I got this blog post out of it.

Vacation!

by -

Polihale Beach on Kauai, Hawaii

It’s been a long, stressful week that included a family emergency.  Good news is, everyone is doing well.  Bad news is that it was not conducive to writing.  Since I feel like I need a vacation, I’m running an “oldie but goodie” for your enjoyment. 

Ahhh…vacation!  The time to get away from it all. To refresh and re-energize.  Yep, I’m one of “those” people, the kind who believes in taking a true vacation to get away from everything for a week or so.  No checking email, no calling the office.  I tell the people I work with, “If the building burns, save yourself and tell me about it when I get back”.  No sense telling me when I’m not there to do anything about it.

Never have understood the concept of a “working vacation” either – isn’t that an oxymoron?  If I’m going to spend the money for a vacation I want to enjoy it – sans work.

Funny thing is that my family didn’t really take vacations.  A couple times we accompanied dad on a business trip to Florida; along the way we’d wait for him in the car or at a restaurant while he called on clients, eventually ending up at the beach for a couple days.  Every few years Sis and I would go to Grandma’s in Minnesota, but that was it.  No weekends at the lake, no ski vacations, no trips just for fun.

I learned about the beauty of a vacation after business school, when I had friends living in other cities.  Those friends would say, “Come visit sometime” – and whether they meant it or not, I took them up on the offer.  (Note to all of you: if you say “come visit”, know that at some point I will do just that)

It wasn’t always easy for me to take a vacation.  I was (and sometimes still am) plagued by worries: what if something “big” happens while I’m gone? What if someone needs me? What if, what if, what if?

Early on I had a great boss who heard me lamenting the “what ifs” and wisely told me, “There is NOTHING that will happen in your absence that we can’t fix when you get back”.   Logic told me she was right and I’ve tried to remember that ever since.

Last week was it – vacation time!  An entire week of fun at our favorite resort with no work in sight, and it was beyond great.  Vacation Brain kicked in for both Hubby and I as soon as we left for the airport, a definite signal that it was time to relax. We read, talked, swam, lounged and were generally lazy.  Work Brain was nowhere to be seen, as it should be during vacation.

As with all good things, our trip came to an end far too soon and my Vacation Brain reluctantly started powering down while my Work Brain tried to wake from a nice nap.  At the airport, Work Brain said it would be a good idea to download my emails so I could at least scan them on the plane.  Sounded logical, so I tried to log-on.  Note I said “tried” – for the life of me I couldn’t remember my log-in info.  Vacation Brain clearly was still in command.  After some time, I finally remembered and logged in – a small victory for Work Brain.

Hubby was having difficulty too.  Wanting to initiate a call with a co-worker, he started to send an email with his cell phone number – but Vacation Brain forbade him from remembering his own number. Work Brain, unfortunately, reminded him that I had his phone number in my phone.

Once I was online, Work Brain commanded that I look at my in-box. Yikes – how could one person have that many emails in just a week?  My mind raced as Vacation Brain was desperate to keep me in resort mode.  Looking at the subject lines, I tried to recall what I was working on when I left town.

My mind was sputtering, with a vague memory of some projects but not enough for the emails to make complete sense.  And who ARE all these people, wanting answers from me?  Do I work with them?  I could feel the tension in my head as Work Brain fought to recover information from a week ago, while Vacation Brain attempted to keep all that information hidden.

Back and forth, the battle for control raged in my head as I read the emails, trying to make sense of it all.  Once the plane landed, Work Brain started a victory dance, knowing that as soon as we exited the jet way Vacation Brain was history.

Sigh. Why is it always like this? Within seconds of returning from vacation, it’s as though we never left at all.  I enjoy my work but I really do cherish the little bit of vacation I take and I would love for the feeling to last longer than a nanosecond.

Good news is the office didn’t burn.  At least I don’t think it did.

It’s OK to Take a Break

by -

Not sure where the time goes.  Suddenly I realized it was time for my twice yearly girls’ weekend, when we all go to a B&B for a few days of crafting, eating, talking, eating, watching chick flicks and – you guessed it –  more eating. These weekends are a great chance to reconnect with good friends who I rarely get to see due to our schedules and distance.

Yet this time, instead of looking forward to the weekend, I found myself frustrated and regretting my decision to attend.  It had nothing to do with seeing my friends.  It was all about my to-do list that was at least a mile long and growing.  In addition, I had no idea what creative project I was going to work on.

Usually I’m eager to pull out my scrapbooking stuff and work on a vacation album.  Not this time.  Disorganized, I hadn’t touched my stuff since the last girls’ weekend six months earlier.  I’d been so busy with work, speaking engagements, volunteering and family, it felt like the energy and creativity had literally been sucked out of me.

I contemplated not going.  I considered bringing my laptop instead of my scrapbooks so I could work on my writing.  I wondered if I could simply hide in one of the bedrooms and catch up on much-needed sleep.  Mostly I just wanted to stay home, convinced that this was the worst possible time for me to leave.

How would I get my writing done?  What would I put in a scrapbook?  Would I even have anything fun to talk about with my friends? 

“But you always love to go,” said Hubby.  “Think of the fun you’ll have once you are there.”  Easy for you to say, I thought to myself as I reluctantly packed my things.  My only thought was that I was wasting valuable time I could spend at my computer.

To be completely honest, recently I had begun to feel like my work and writing was suffering.  Maybe it was just too much to do; maybe I had “lost my touch”.  It even crossed my mind that maybe I had become lazy.  Whatever was happening to me, it seemed like a really bad time for me to attend a girls’ weekend of fun.

Or was it?

I had plenty of time to think about this in the car.  Maybe Hubby was right, I thought.  I remembered that I took a break from the job search when I was laid-off, and it turned out to be the right move. Perhaps this situation was similar; maybe I needed a break from everything for a couple days to spend quality creative time with my friends.  I slowly started to relax.

Upon arrival I was greeted by smiles and laughter as my friends all gathered around.  Shoes were replaced by comfortable slippers as we all talked at once, trying to catch up.  Paper, paste, photographs, stickers and all sorts of creativity began as we plugged in the first of many chick flicks.  Food and drinks were abundant, truly the sign of a great gathering.

It took me a bit to shake the creative cobwebs from my head but I managed to get my photos organized and a new scrapbook started.  I enjoyed visiting with my friends and realized how much I value their friendship.

My scrapbook didn’t get finished, although that’s not important.  What matters is that I took a break – mentally and physically – from my normal routine.  Something I should do more often.  The computer, work and everything else can wait.

Remember this story if you find yourself on-edge during a job search.  Sometimes a break – even a short one – can put us back on track.

Balancing Act: My Love-Hate Relationship With Technology

by -

This year I succumbed to peer pressure and got an iPad.  Actually, Hubby bought me the iPad as a gift. He probably thought he would get to use it too, and actually loaded the connection to his email on the device. LOL! As if he would be able to pry it from my hands.

Truthfully, I wanted to be part of the “in” crowd, with the latest technology, even though I really wasn’t sure why I needed this device when my laptop and iPhone were always close at hand.

The benefits of this device?

–          I look cool and super-important while I surf the net at Starbucks

–          Shopping – of course I just had to get an awesome case for it – but I discovered that I can online shop just about anywhere now. Sweet!

–          My shoulder loves it! No need to struggle to carry the brick that’s my laptop when I travel, since my iPad allows me to stay connected, read attachments, etc.

–          Multi-tasking: watch TV, chat with Hubby and keep up with FB all from the comfort of the couch

The downside:

–          I. Am. Always. Connected.

How did I fall for this trap?  Wasn’t it enough to own a smart phone, that’s almost surgically attached to my hand?

This wonderful, yet wicked, device with its awesome technology added another layer of complexity to my already action-packed life.  While I’m not a true follower of the zodiac, I do believe I have some traits of my sign.  As a Libra (the Scale), I really prefer that things are balanced.   I am passionate about my work as well as my personal life, and I don’t want one getting more attention than the other.  Yes there are times when one is busier.  But that’s OK; I can handle chaos at work if home is calm. Likewise, chaos at home is fine as long as work is calm.   But with all this connectivity, it seems like I’m never able to enjoy the calm.

Work is always on fire. Part of that is my chosen profession and while I love it, I’m making a note to myself: next career, try to pick something that’s not always a fire-drill.    Hubby/family/friends are a top priority at home.  Layer on top of that my passion for writing, including my recently published book, and I find myself always out of balance, running from one project to the next without any down-time.

It’s definitely harder to balance the three-legged stool of work-home-personal projects.  Yet there has to be a way to do it.  I’ve said before that the obvious solution would be to eliminate something.  For me, it’s been more difficult since I experienced being laid off.  The fear of being without a job is still top of mind, so I push myself to do more in the same amount of time.  Definitely a losing proposition.

My goal now is to try and create boundaries that allow for all areas of my life.  I don’t know how I’m going to achieve this, but it’s worth fighting for.  We all need to take breaks – even just an evening off, or a whole day if possible.  And vacations that take me away from it all are a must!

I’ve started to wean myself from connectivity for short periods of time.  After all, I’m not the leader of the free world so I doubt that I’m really needed at any second of the day. Not peeking at an electronic device is much harder than I thought.  Hubby and I try to hide our smart phones while dining so we can focus on each other, although we slip sometimes.  Slowly I’m getting used to not bringing my iPad, including the fun case, when I go for coffee, hoping that I’ll sip my beverage and clear my mind.

Baby steps, I tell myself.  Baby steps.

What Do Study Habits Have to Do With Work?

by -

I just figured out what my biggest problem was in college.  I studied too much. 
And how did I come to this revelation, you ask?  Especially now, since I’ve been out of school for quite some time, it seems like an odd thing to be concerned with.  If you look at my transcript – especially from undergrad – one would argue that I didn’t study enough.  Those grades sure don’t look like that of the next Einstein. 
I have to credit being laid-off for giving me the insight to see that I studied too much in college.  Try to follow me on this; I know I’m sounding like I’ve either pulled an all-nighter and need sleep or that I’ve lost my mind.  
When the lay-off hit, I began consulting.  I looked forward to setting my own hours and working from home instead of having to commute to an office each day.  Getting started wasn’t too difficult, and before long I had a few clients.  One thing led to another and my work expanded, including some very fulfilling personal projects.  Then I was offered a job that allowed me to work in the office several days a week, while maintaining one day a week for my personal projects.  It seemed like the best of both worlds.
That was more than a year ago, and now I’m exhausted.  While it is the “best of both worlds”, it’s more than a full schedule.  I’ve got four action-packed days at the office followed by three more work-filled days at home.  Somewhere in there I’m supposed to relax and have fun.  Yes, my work for the company is interesting but it’s also intense.  And while my personal projects are very fulfilling, they are also creative in nature and take more time to complete than I thought.  So it feels like I’m working seven days a week. All.The.Time. 
This is exactly the same thing that happened to me when it came to studying in college.  With demanding classes I felt like I should be studying every waking moment.  Sure I had fun, never missing a football game and working in time for friends, yet deep down it was hard for me to relax, even for a night.  It was the feeling that I had, that I needed to be studying rather than having fun that caused me so much stress. 
It’s the same stress I have now, like there’s so much to do that I can never stop working. With both of these great jobs I find myself unable to break away from work, even for a short time. The fear is that if I take time to have fun or take a day off, I’ll miss self-imposed deadlines or that I’ll never catch up.  I find myself not accepting social invitations because I know that I have work to do. Hmmm…this sounds familiar. Haven’t I seen this movie?
If I had been smart in college I would have learned how to handle this situation by paying attention to one of my friends.  On the surface it appeared that this very smart individual didn’t care about grades – and in some respect that’s true. It seemed as though he didn’t worry about studying and had lots of fun.  His approach? He figured out exactly what he needed to do to make the minimum passing grade – and he did that.  Not too smart, huh?  Actually it was brilliant, and I wish I’d followed his lead. He spent his extra time exploring other interests and thinking in a more entrepreneurial way about life after college rather than feeling guilty for not spending all his time studying.   Yes, he graduated. Not with honors but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care.  Now a successful businessman, he’s flying his personal airplane around the country while I still have to hunt for air fares and fly commercial.
My hunch is that if I had allowed myself the freedom to take time off in college, without worry, that I would have been happier and my grades would have been no worse.  They might actually have been better, since I would have been rested and rejuvenated.   Yet here I am years later, struggling with the same issue again, this time without the threat of a poor GPA.  I simply can’t seem to let myself relax, even for one night.  Poor Hubby; we haven’t had a “date” in ages.  It’s no fun to go to a movie when all I want to do is check my email or scribble notes for one of my projects.  
Hard to believe it’s taken me all these years to figure it out.  Too bad I wasn’t smart enough to adjust my work/study habits while I was still in college.  Imagine the fun I would have had, the memories I would have made and the grades I would have seen at the end of each term.
Even now, I wonder what kind of great work I might accomplish, if I just allowed myself some time off?  It’s worth a try.
© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved

Hubby Was Right

by -

Hubby likes to be right. This doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally he is right.  At that point he announces to anyone who will listen, “Hey, I was right today!”  Women stare back at him like he’s nuts, while the guys smile and give him a high-five.  This is because they too are seldom right.

It all started because I was having “one of those days”.  You know, the kind where nothing makes you happy, with a funk hanging over you like a black cloud?  Luckily they don’t happen to me very often.  Hubby is extremely glad too.  My mood can go from giddy to ghoulish in a nanosecond, although mostly I just can’t seem to make a decision on anything – going to the gym, working, reading, watching TV – you name it.   I know I’m in a funk, yet I simply can’t extract myself from its grip.

This time was even worse because I had work to do, including writing.  Nothing kills creativity more than being in a funk.  I had been at the computer for hours and all I had to show for it was a Facebook update and a few winning games of solitaire.

Being a very smart man, Hubby assessed the situation and suggested I get out of the house for a break.  Being a very stubborn gal, I didn’t move a muscle, insisting that I need to stay at the computer to get work done.   Not sure exactly what happened next except that I found myself being led to my car, purse in hand, with Hubby telling me to head to the mall and just walk around to clear my head.   “It will do you good,” he said.  “Besides, don’t you need to buy some face stuff?”  That’s guy-talk for make-up, in case you don’t recognize it.

Fine, I thought. You want me out of the house, I’ll leave.  It’s not going to help the funk I’m in, but at least I’ll get some exercise. 

I felt even worse when I got to the mall, realizing that I had not bothered to change and I was still in my gym clothes.  At least I wasn’t sweaty since my funk had forbid me from hitting the gym.  My plan was a quick walk all the way around the mall, with only one stop for “face stuff”.  

As I walked, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been shopping in quite some time.  Serious shopping, I mean.  The kind where you look at all the clothes, assess the season’s trends and make a wish list of must-haves.  Store windows screamed fall, with new clothes in a glorious color palette.  Colors that were perfect for me.  Styles that were perfect for me.  Sale signs that encouraged me to shop – which was perfect for me.

Let me just say that I’m usually pretty quick to decide on clothing. I can enter a store, visually scan the racks, and tell almost immediately whether or not there’s anything I want to look at.  I’m so quick that if Hubby is with me, he barely gets a chance to find a seat before I’m ready to move on to the next store.

This time was different. EVERYTHING was calling my name.  As I stepped into one of my favorite stores, my heart started racing and I found my excitement pushing the funk out the back door.  The colors and styles were almost too much to take in.  Perusing the racks, touching the fabrics, examining the styles – before I knew it I was in a dressing room with a pile of clothes to try on.    And of course for once, everything I tried on fit. And looked good.  Nothing beats a good funk like fabulous new clothes. 

A bit overwhelmed by all of the styles and colors, I decided to move on down the mall while I thought about a purchase.   Every store was the same, with windows ablaze in fashion, each style calling my name.

As I purchased the one item I actually came for – “face stuff” – I mentally tallied the bill to purchase the fashions I was interested in.  My math was rough, but I figured it totaled about $5,000. I got in the car and headed home.

Walking in the door, Hubby could sense that my mood had changed and that my funk had bailed on me.  “See – I told you shopping would be good for you!” he crowed, knowing that his decision to send me to the mall had indeed been right.  “Did you get your face stuff?”  “Oh yeah”, I told him.  “But there was so much to buy!  The clothes are fabulous this season; just my colors. I spent about $5,000”. 

I watched the color drain from Hubby’s face as he clutched his wallet while trying to look brave and supportive.  I failed to tell him that I had only mentally spent $5,000.  After all, it’s important for him to know that he was right. 

© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved

Naked Thoughts

by -

Unless I’m in a medically induced coma, turning off my mind so I can relax is next to impossible. My mind is constantly on the go, the ultimate multi-tasker, running rampant as it hops from one thought to the next.   I’m envious of Hubby who seems to have no problem putting his mind to rest. Simply turn on the TV and viola! Instant relaxation. Must be a guy-thing.

As a result, getting away from our daily grind of home, consulting and thinking about new opportunities is very important to me.  Visiting our favorite resort provides me with some relaxation as we spend the majority of our time in a poolside cabana.  This year Hubby suggested that we indulge in a couples massage.  “Come on,” he pleaded. “It will be so relaxing.”   I looked at him like he had sprouted a second head, asking “Uh, have you met me? You know I can’t keep my mind still for five minutes much less an hour”.  Persistence paid off for Hubby as I reluctantly agreed to the extravagance.

I’ve got to give the resort spa credit – I felt a bit like royalty as I indulged in a pre-massage sauna and shower, slipped into a luxurious bathrobe and slippers, then sipped herbal tea in the pre-treatment “relaxation room” while waiting for my massage “therapist”. 

My therapist was very calm, with the softest voice as she escorted me to the massage parlor – I mean “room”.  Thank goodness Hubby was already there; it would have been humiliating if they had mistakenly paired me with someone else.   “What kind of oil would you enjoy?” asked my therapist. “This one promotes balance, this one energy, this one peace…” and the list went on.  I chose “balance” simply because I gagged at the other scents. 

“Relax,” whispered the therapist.  Oh yeah, I thought. Like it’s totally normal to have a stranger rub smelly oil that’s supposed to promote “balance” all over my naked body.  Yes, technically I’m not naked all at one time, but the whole idea of being in a dimly lit room, naked, with candles and incense and other smells, naked, with a stranger rubbing oil on me is just not normal.  Did I mention the part about being naked?  Sure, there’s a sheet, but honestly that little piece of see-through muslin isn’t fooling anyone.

Trying to find my mental “happy place”, I took a deep breath, telling my mind to quiet down and enjoy the moment.  Yet my mind resisted.  How could I quiet my mind with a stranger kneading my butt, which by then was classified as an oil slick by OPEC?  There was so much oil I was afraid I’d have to pay an environmental fine.

Side one finished and my mind was still in high-action mode as I awkwardly tried to flip to my other side without falling off the narrow table.  Attempting to calm my mind and be peaceful, I tried again to go to my “happy place”.  I actually heard Hubby snoring as his therapist kneaded his butt.  Honestly, how can you sleep through this, I thought? I told my mind to listen to the peaceful, soothing music.  It was slow and soft, mainly a flute and some other instruments I couldn’t identify.  Instead of relaxing to the peaceful unidentifiable music, my mind’s thinking, “Who writes this stuff?”  I can’t imagine listening to it on the car radio; highway traffic would come to a standstill since we’d all fall asleep or go insane with the constant chiming and chanting.

Still attempting to find peace during this experience, I tried breathing slowly and deeply, counting sheep, counting backwards from 100, saying “ohm” – anything to calm my busy mind.  This is why I don’t meditate.  My mind is unable to be still for even a nanosecond. 

Finally, peace came.  I was so relaxed, the smell of the oil had become a pleasant aroma rather than an offensive odor, my muscles were enjoying being rubbed and massaged and I was ready to enjoy the rest of my time in the treatment room. 

“Thank you for coming,” the therapist said.  “We’ve left you some water and a treat, and will be waiting for you outside the door.”  What??? Wait, my mind is finally quieted and you’re leaving me? Come back, rub some more oil on me – I promise I won’t wince at the smell! 

Sigh. And just like that my mind woke up again.  I would like to think that my busy mind is brilliant, but I know better. It’s just busy.  At least it’s not naked.

© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved