Inspiration Mondays: Recharging

I've had a rough few weeks. I've been plagued with sleeping problems, and it's only over the last few days that I've been able to rest properly. I wasn't planning on going anywhere this summer, but I decided just over a week ago that I needed a few days off, and planned a last-minute getaway to an inn just south of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. It was set in 150 acres of clearing within the forest, right near a creek.

We usually make sure our accommodations have an internet connection, because the hubby needs to maintain his business when we're away (he's not a workaholic, he just likes to make sure no one is in dire need while he is away). This time, though, the internet connection wasn't working, and the owners were desperately trying to get it going again. Couple this with the lack of cell phone reception, and we were practically transported back in time.

So, I couldn't write a blog post. I couldn't check my email. I couldn't log on to Ravelry, Facebook, Google+ (yeah, I'm there)... soooo, what to do?

I spun some yarn. I slept. I read magazines. I played with Rascal. We walked and talked and slept some more. I had a bath. I watched the birds, the clouds, the squirrels. I only thought about work a couple of times. When I woke up in the morning at the usual 6:30am time my brain wakes me up at, I rolled over and slept some more. Time slowed down to a crawl. A pleasant crawl.

I spend a lot of my day doing things: knit, write, spin, write, clean, cook, garden, knit, work, drive, wash... This was the first time in a long time I really didn't do anything. Nothing planned, anyway. And it was nice.

My brain seemed to take the time to purge itself of bad stuff. I had dreams that I was back with my grade 1 class in London, and they would NOT stop screaming. I woke up with a gasp more than once, but each time I went back to sleep and woke up rested. I remembered embarrassing moments, bad decisions, annoying people, folks that hurt my feelings. And I made peace with it, I think.

I couldn't live like this all the time, but I'm glad we took the time to do it. There's something to be said for the enforced silence that comes from a lack of technology on vacation. I rather liked it.

Of course, the first thing I did when I got home was logged onto the computer to announce that I was home. I'm sure the internet breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness," it said. "We could not do anything until she got home."

You're all relieved, aren't you? I'm back, and I'm rested. Brace yourselves, everyone...