Staycation

July 1st officially rings in the second half of the year. Naturally, it is a point to do some deep reflection of where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. After spending almost seven weeks working out of state for the first portion of the summer, I returned home ready to do some self-reflection.

A few years ago, I wrote a post about my destination addiction. You can read the full post, but essentially, I had (*have*) this idea that happiness lies at some destination in the future versus the present. While I have gotten much better with dealing with this, it still manifests itself in some of my everyday thoughts. I have a very difficult time grounding myself in the present. I am always on the go, always planning the next step, always adjusting my ten year plan, never satisfied with the now. I am a Type A nutcase.

Upon my return home from working out of state, I re-visted my prayer/vision journal and my weekly journal. I smiled as I read the four goals I mapped out for this year. I split the goals into quarters and my first two goals had been completed before July 1st rolled around. I have not spent enough time in the happiness that should come with an accomplishment; instead, I have been focused on my next two goals for the remainder of the year- and even worse, trying to figure out what the next big thing in my life will be career wise.

It has been such a huge adjustment being back home. My life has been a whirlwind since the beginning of the year. I transitioned out of the classroom and dived head first into a new fast paced life role. Since February, I have been going nonstop. Now that I am back home, my team and I are supposed to take almost a month of PTO before hitting the ground running for the next phase in September. I cannot remember a single time in my adult life where I just had downtime. As a teacher, I would work for the first half of the summer and then only have a week or so before getting back to work. As you can imagine, that week or so was not spent relaxing, but rather preparing for the upcoming school year. Not to mention, I was also in grad school for two years which added on an additional layer of stress. Now, I have this time and I don't know what to do with myself. I still have some work to wrap up before completely heading out of office, but this slow pace is unknown to me.

I have committed myself to taking a staycation before Leo season hits ;-)

A staycation is a period in which an individual stays home and participates in leisure activities within driving distance of their home and does not require overnight accommodations.

I have been sleeping in, which is really hard for me to do, but I force myself not to get out of bed before 11:00am. I have been working throughout the day instead of sitting at my desk during business hours as I normally would. I have been trying new recipes. I have been back in the gym. I have been reading novels in their entirety in one sitting. I have been binge watching my favorite shows. While thoughts of the future and what's next still linger, I try not to harp on those thoughts and let them slip to the back of my mind- at least for now.

If you find yourself with some time off from work, I encourage you to consider taking a staycation instead of a vacation. While vacations are much needed fun, I think the planning and execution of one can sometimes add some additional stress into your life. A staycation is the perfect way to unwind and focus on self-care. I feel so refreshed, renewed and inspired. I am also in a state of gratitude for the life that I live (which is a rare occurrence because I hardly ever think about it). Thoughts that I prayed and dreams that I had are all becoming a reality. It is a blessing to be able to bask in the grace and favor extended upon me.

For those of you waiting on my YouTube return, I will be back shortly. Thank you for all of your sweet messages <1 <2 <3

Stuntin' + Shining,

@KiyBen