It was Wednesday of last week, and I felt as if work was imploding around me. Tasks I had hoped to get done by then were starting to look as if they’d never get done. Projects with lots of moving parts were not coming together. People I had been relying on to get things done were unresponsive. I was freaking out.
I was supposed to leave for Newport, RI the very next day to take part in the Cambridge Writers’ Workshop‘s writing and yoga retreat. I had plans to disconnect from work. From Twitter. From Tumblr. From the responsibilities of home and motherhood. I was going to use the time to revive the book manuscript I’d pushed aside for the past year.
I would only be gone for four days.
But was it asking too much?
I don’t go places. Traveling exhausts me (why can’t we teleport yet?). I tend to miss the familiarity of my own bed. My own shower. I always miss my three cats deeply.
But beyond that, I always feel as if things will fall apart without me. It’s the reason I checked in with work while on my honeymoon in Mexico. It’s the reason I continued working during my two-month “maternity leave.” It’s the reason I generally prefer work that does not require me to rely on other people in any way.
Still, overblown anxiety aside, pressing pause does have its benefits.
![img_2220](https://yoga.stephauteri.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/img_2220.jpg)
Me at the delightfully sunny retreat house in Newport, RI, sitting in a quiet corner, writing, writing, writing.
If you have trouble pressing pause, I may be able to help. Starting this month, I’ll be teaching a monthly Inner Peace workshop at Verona Yoga, the third Tuesday of every month. You can find more info here.
(image via flickr)
Speak Your Mind