It dawned on me recently that the things that matter most are the things we cannot buy. I've known this all along, of course, but I guess I'm simply starting to realize the stark reality of it all. Life's precious, my kids aren't getting any younger and my wife deserves my undivided attention when we're on vacation. And the rest of the year, too.
So you may have noticed that I'm not posting every day. Or every second day. Or third, come to think of it. I'm not wearing a watch and I'm paying zero attention to my calendar. The BlackBerry sits silently and ignored somewhere deep in my camera bag. I use my laptop, but only to offload pictures from my camera - it helps me relive each day before we fall asleep. You don't want to see pictures of me, as I've lost track of where my razor is. I have no idea where my shirts, ties and suits have gone. And I don't much care.
Caption This, usually published on Sunday, is late this week. I'll get to it when the spirit moves me, I guess. Thematic Photographic? Same thing.
Don't worry, though. I'm not disappearing. I'll return to full-bore blogging in a few days, after we return to our regular life's routine. But for now, I've hit the pause button, and it feels cathartic. I needed this more than I was willing to admit. My family did, too, and I hope you and yours are able to do the same.
Your turn: How do you turn the volume down in your own life? What do you learn in the process?
Related link: Updated pics...
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AND THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER BEGINS!
1 day ago
18 comments:
that's awesome! we take vacations where the cell phones don't work. we don't call home to check on the business or the kids. if there's an emergency, they know how to find us.
enjoy!
I think you've found the reason I've fallen in love with camping!
Rest up. It's a good time to take a break; things are slow and chugging along on their own.
As it should be.
Since you confessed to your lack of a shave go ahead and visit my blog. I left you a thematic photographic...sort of...
enjoy that beautiful place Carmi where love and belonging heals as well as stirs one's creative energy again.
downtime......we used to have a wonderful place to go to...an old house in Spencer's Island NS where my mother in law grew up. The house had been turned into a summer home which sits on a piece of property which goes back 7 generations. Unfortunately/tragically, my sister in law, executor and prior to that wacky power of attorney, changed the locks and moved in. The estate still hangs in limbo...and the house, where we often escaped just the four of us or with another family for many Thanksgivings and summer long weekends is off bounds for the time being. I didn't realize how much I relied on the place ... off the beaten path, with a view of the water and beach.... as my refuge. I miss it dearly....the old porch,the woodstove, etc....
we need a place to linger without time constraints, where our walking pace calms down.....
enjoy, shalom...
Take all the time that you and your family need to heal. You've had such a huge emotional wound recently, and you can't fix that up with bandaids and forced smiles. Family time - just you and them sounds perfect.
My life is pretty quiet on most days, but when I need to turn the volume down, I usually just load up the camera and the Tonka Unit and go in search of new photographic goodness. I'm seldom out for more than a couple of hours, and more than once I've been tempted to just aim the truck at the horizon and keep driving, but practically I know that's not an option so I use those couple of hours to their best advantage. Cathartic? You bet. And Tonka loves it!
(And now I'll slip out quietly and leave you to do some serious vacationing.)
Hello Carmi!
Bradley and I shut the rest of the world out when we finally have some vacation time together. We say no to invitations out with friends and familiy so that we can enjoy each other on our own terms without outside influences. I know this probably offends our friends and family sometimes but we do not mind if we offend them (they probably do not quite understand Bradley and I's connection or our desire to be alone with one another).
We read, relax, talk, sit by the fireplace and do all the things we want to do but do not usually have the time or the energy to do. And how wonderful it is! Ah to reconnect and remember how much you love and enjoy each other!
No one ever lay on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the office.
Take your much needed down time and enjoy your family! I am sure everyone who visits your Blog will understand.
Terri
Great for you and your family to take a break... :) I do that all the time on my blog. Otherwise, I would have quit blogging, oh, about 10.5 years ago!
I hope you guys had a very special holiday season. See you when you get back to it. Take your time -- We'll be here!
Good for you, Carmi.
Since I've been living alone for a few years (and have nearly no social life), I sometimes feel like I have too much "volume turned down" time. So the way I find my deliberate focused moments is a bit ironic - I go to a busy coffee shop, open the laptop, bookend my brain between noise-eliminating earbuds, then let life blur around me while I fall under the time-travel spell of movie scores and disappear into my latest writing-for-fun project.
There is a strange peace in this place.
i am constantly without my phone. i hate the phone anyways. now the laptop, its hard to close down for too long. i like to go hiking and explore where we live.
Things are slow here too but I'm blogging none-the-less; perhaps because I have the time and no little children around anymore.
Enjoy your break. Will be looking for Thematic Thursday another time.
Peace to you and yours.
I have never been one to blog everyday, I just don't have enough to write about anyway lol...But I do try to close the laptop more often...when Chris is home on holiday, we cuddle alot more, watch movies, just chill, or get the sitter when we can , for the clients here..so we can just get out of the house together. Tomorrow is one such day...will be nice for me to get out...we may go to a movie...and I want to drive around to look at all the decorated homes this time of year.
Happy Holiday Season to you and yours Carmi...
Congratulations! It sounds perfect.
We vacation where there is no TV, no telephones (out of cell phone range and only a roam signal a few miles down the road).
As far as work goes, we might as well drop off the edge of the earth because we are not available. Nothing that we do is so important that it can't wait.
I cook, Chelle swims & kayaks, we both read voraciously and do puzzles of all sorts. We invite friends and family to join us when they can. And I highly endorse changing the speed of life for a while.
It is good to totally disconnect from everything except that which matters most...Enjoy this time with your family.
Downtime is promising myself not to run my commercial embroidery machine for a day, a week, a holiday -- whatever it takes.
Found your blog through another link -- will be back. Reading your words is cathartic in and of itself how you weave words.
Unplugged rest. It's a good thing. I've stayed far away from twitter over the past week, checking in only periodically. It's been nice.
I love days when the kids and I get in the car and leave sans cell phone. Totally unavailable, off to a park, to enjoy the outdoors.
Enjoy yourself. Enjoy your family. Enjoy life.
Good for you, Carmi. Sometimes we get so caught up in technology and the 'must do's' that we forget to just be.
I'm enjoying being home with family, my books, some holiday movies and good food for two weeks, away from school/work and the craziness of every day. Our hiatus is simply being away from all of our demands and being together.
Carmi, you're such a dynamo most of the time. I know you need this rests and I am so glad you are able to unwind and chill. Happy New Year!
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