Last week’s blog sparked a lot of great feedback and a lot of opinions. Many people reply and tell me about trips they have taken alone or with girlfriends that really helped them reflect and reset. I love to hear this. Everyone needs time, more regularly to reflect and reset. It was refreshing to hear from so many of you, that you take this time for yourself.
And of course, I heard a lot of opinions and some what I like to call judgmental snarky comments that I thought would be worth sharing.
- Your husband “let you” go on vacation alone. Now if you know me, you will know this sent chills up and down my spine. I am a 40 something year old woman, who works her butt off inside and outside the home. No one “let’s me” do something or not do something. Now of course I talked to my husband about it before booking but I didn’t get or need his “permission”.
- I of course heard the “that must be nice” snarky comment to that I smiled and said, “yes it was very nice, thank you.” I understand I am very fortunate to be able to go away for a weekend to have alone time. But back to number one I work my butt off to be able to do these types of things, everyone has different priorities and travel is a priority to me, I make sure it’s part of my life and my budget.
- Then I got the “you are so brave, I could never go away alone,” let me stop you right there, yes you could, you choose not to. I lot of people don’t think they can eat at a restaurant alone, promise you, you can, and you don’t even need to be on your phone, you can just look around and be present. Yes, I am a seasoned traveler, for years I traveled for work all over the country alone, so flying, hotel living, and eating alone is not foreign to me. But I promise you can do it, it has nothing to do with being brave.
- I heard this one a lot “I don’t know what I would do if I had alone time, I would be bored”, this one actually made me sad, we spend so much of our life taking care of others, answering everyone’s questions and solving others’ problems, that people really don’t know how to be by themselves without being needed. Being bored is not a bad thing, in fact not having a to-do list 100 pages long is actually a good thing. That’s why it was important for me not to be at home for my alone time, because I would have reorganized my closets, decluttered the boys rooms, done laundry and groceries and we all know that is not what time alone to reset should look like.
So, this week again I encourage you to look at your calendar and plan some time alone just you. I know not everyone can go that far away or even for a full week but even a day is worth shooting for. Last year I did a 12-hour walk, you have to do it alone with no electronics, this is a perfect way to really clear your mind and reflect. If you are interested in the 12 hour walk there is a book The 12 Hour Walk, Invest One Day Conquer your Mind and Unlock Your Best Life, by Colin O’Brady Click here
I also wrote a blog about it if you want to check it out. Click here