I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a very hard worker. I truly love what I do. My passion has always been writing and sharing stories. I loved reading from a very young age and I enjoy capturing stories so they aren't forgotten. But with the passion and drive I have, often comes being overworked and overwhelmed.
When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March of 2020, things went wonky in my world. I was laid off and put on unemployment. I was stuck at home and found myself longing for things to do, much like the rest of the world. Being that we hadn't had a true family vacation for a long time, I started looking online at beach houses in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For fun, my mom joined in on the search too.
We spent almost every weekend looking at houses in Duck, Corolla, Southern Shores, Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and more. We looked through countless photos and dreamed of days by the swimming pools and listening to the sound of the ocean waves. August of 2021 also happened to mark my 30th birthday so we really wanted a place to celebrate. We had finally found THE house after searching for months, the rent was paid, and we officially had a countdown to vacation.
OBX, August 2021
Being my birthday celebration, my parents let me invite some friends down to the Outer Banks with me. Due to COVID, I hadn't seen my close friends in the span of about two years. We went from traveling with each other all the time to all different places and we'd always share memories from those travels. Like so many other people, I hadn't seen my family in a long time either.
Spending the week in the Outer Banks was so peaceful. I woke up every morning and the hardest question I had to ask myself was 'beach or pool' or bagel with 'cream cheese or butter'. To not have to be connected to my phone, except to play music, was an amazing way to hit the reset button.
The weeks leading up to my vacation were a nightmare. I had various doctors appointments as I dealt with a long battle of the stomach virus, I had babysat for a family of three girls during the week to make extra money, my workload demand had increased by having to hire writers. I was stressed to the max. Not to mention, our deadline week was a week earlier than normal due to me going away.
Come Friday, August 20 at 5:00 PM, I gleefully shut off my laptop and turned on some Jimmy Buffett to prepare to pack and get ready for my vacation that had been years in the making. I couldn't wait to see my friends and family. I got up the next morning and packed the car and headed South.
OBX, August 2021
I had so much fun that week. Between intense pool volleyball games to late night laughter in the movie theater, I don't think I could ask for anything better. Even on the one day that we had rain, I still swam in the pool and ocean because I was going to get wet anyway, why not salvage a day?
When I came home from my trip, I was refreshed and relaxed. I didn't feel the constant workload stress. Being the first vacation I had been on in years, it reminded me that everyone deserves an opportunity to hit the reset button.
Some days, the reset button may be taking a long walk through nature, other days it means grabbing a coffee at your favorite coffeeshop and enjoying the sun on a beautiful day. Whatever you do, always find time to hit the reset button.
Signing off,
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