It’s the last Monday before I’m on holidays for a fortnight so this instalment of my self-care story is devoted to taking some time out from regular life.   I don’t know about you but as I’ve gotten older and wiser, I’ve come to really value actually going on annual leave and then returning to work with new focus and energy as well as that enthusiasm I like to think stems from ‘absence making the heart grow fonder’.  To me, annual leave is a break from routine, deadlines, juggling and that slide into autopilot that sometimes happens when it becomes clear that you need to step off the merry-go-round for a bit.  It’s a time to reconnect, recharge and refocus. School holidays and uni breaks are like quite a few other things of youth, I think.  A bit of a waste.  I remember getting bored on school holidays but then driving my parents up the wall with the complaining when they suggested I do ‘boring’ things with them.  I remember getting frustrated at days that seemed to drag on forever.  I’d be quite happy with almost eight weeks off for the summer, thank you very much.  And those days that never ended?  Yes please!  Time moves on so quickly when you’re an adult. The reality of maternity leave was hilariously different from my expectation.  I envisioned breezy weeks of doing my thing just with a settled baby in his sling or in the pram or car seat.  It was so much more than that.  It was a time of change and adjustment but it was also filled with precious moments and experiences that have redefined me and the course my life took afterward. Digressing as usual but hey, it’s (nearly) the holidays.

Mum life drinks – the latest issue of the Woolies magazine, the lowest alcohol white wine you could find at Dan’s because #cleanliving and one of the packets of minimally processed, wholesome snacks your 6-year-old refuses to eat despite loving the first packet….

This is what self-care on holidays means to me.

Sleeping in or if that’s too hard then having a lazy morning in bed with my book, thoughts and a mug of tea.  Who am I kidding?  Scrolling on my phone will be a given as well of course.

Getting out and about while everyone else is at work.

Having the time to explore the side streets and even have a chance to pause and take a photo or two.

That sense of being on a special adventure while you share a train with people on their way to work never gets old.

I’m looking forward to exploring a little more of our ever-changing city.

Doing a little of the new and revisiting the tried and tested.

Where some see monotony and claustrophobia, I see a chance to decompress in restorative solitude.  Those long, long flights that seem to be the only way for us Australians to connect with much of the world force me to be still and slow.  Being out of range (thank goodness that inflight wifi is still either very slow or very expensive) means less distraction and white noise.  These pockets of time are precious to me.

But oh the organization and prep it requires to get on that plane!  I’ve left it pretty late this year and even worse, it’s all meant to come together over the school holidays.  Writing this post is proving to be a great reminder of what I need to bring.  There’s most of the hard work done then, do you think?

Works for me. 

Here’s what I need to bring, my virtual and imaginary doer of stuff.  Make it happen!

airplane compliant deodorant, rosehip oil and face wipes

T2 teabags

enviro shoppers for those infamous US grocery store expeditions I make every trip

and some extra upper body strength for the trolley push of shame when I come back into Sydney with all my shopping…

The excitement is a bit off the chart here as you might have guessed.

I can already taste that Bellini

and see The Shops.

But first the real world must be worked with.  Its traffic, its queues and its random weather.

A very special event is set to happen between the start of the school holidays and the day I fly out.  Two very special women in our lives are returning to Sydney to stay with us for a bit.  I’m hoping my other aunty will be able to fly in to join them.

So I’ve added tea bags to my shopping list (lots of them) and will be cooking one of their favourite meals for the night they get in.

What are some ‘unconventional’ elements of your self-care program?