Dayclean

Another interesting component to my vacation in Edisto was historical. There is tons of history on the island, to be sure; but there is a strong possibility that there is personal history for me as well. According to my family, my grandfather Jesse Beach moved to Georgia from the South Carolina coast. He was allegedly of Gullah heritage. For those who aren't familiar, Gullah people are African-Americans who hail from the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia who have maintained a unique culture and language. The Gullah language is a mixture of English, Portuguese, several African languages.

While I was there, I found from several locals that there were a number of Beaches in the area (not sandy beaches but people with my last name of Beach! LOL!). I plan on going back and looking specifically for my distant relatives. So as I toured of the island, I was especially interested in the history of the area as it very well could be my history.

Our tour guide (who could trace his family roots on the island back to the 1600s) knew a little Gullah. One word that stuck with me was the Gullah word for morning. They call it dayclean. What a poetic and accurate way to describe the morning.

Dayclean. Each day is a new day. We begin with anew. Dayclean to me means leaving aside yesterday - good, bad or indifferent - and embracing each day as a new day, a fresh start, a clean slate.

What a wonderful way to view the day. Yesterday is over. Tomorrow isn't here. We have today and we start each day fresh and clean.

Practicing What I Preach

I write a lot about taking time for self. Yet, it is not enough to talk a good game, I also try to live it. It would be hypocritical of me if I didn't at least try to put my words into practice.

I've known for a while I needed a real break and a staycation wasn't an option. Since I blog and write at home, my home, although I love it, is actually Workplace #2 for me. Once I got the time off from Workplace #1, I knew I'd have to leave to really get the rest and relaxation I needed. Fortunately for me, my dad has a time share and I was able to get away for a week for next to nothing.

I went to Edisto Island, South Carolina, right on the coast. There are no major attractions. There was no nightlife, just a nice beach and some historical plantations and history on the island. For me, it was perfect. I spent my days on the screened in porch journaling and reading. I had daily walks on the beach. I slept in. I ate great seafood. It was restorative and peaceful. It was exactly what I needed.

Now that I'm back, my challenge is to figure out how to keep my stress level from careening to the heights it climbed to before I left.  

• Appreciate the quiet. I found that I wasn't using the television or radio as background noise. I journaled and read in complete silence. It was nice.
• Stop rushing. The pace on the island was a lot slower. It tookdo's. I might even try to leave for work a few minutes earlier.
• Decompress on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I would treat myself to a long bath. I do this at home too and it does make a difference.
• Let it go. I realized, as I had a lot of time to walk and think, that I carry a lot of stuff with me that I don't need to carry: workplace woes, other people's drama, things I make into a big deal that really aren't. The most important thing I need to learn to do is let those things go. To paraphrase the Serenity Prayer: I need to change what I can, let go of what I can't and have the wisdomto know the difference.

A few days away can make all of the difference. I was a believer before and I'm still a believer now!

Tomorrow is Friday!

TGIF!!!
Time to Get Into some Fun!

Hopefully, where you are it will be nice and warm and sunny but even if it’s raining, do something for the sole enjoyment of it.

• Go to the beach.
• Walk at a park.
• Play paintball.
• Run through the sprinklers with the kids.
• Run through the sprinklers if you don’t have kids!
• Invite some friends over.
• Take in that movie you’ve been wanting to see.
• Play with the dog.
• Take a dip in the pool.
• Pop in your favorite CD or turn up your IPod and dance around the house like a fool.
• Better yet, dance outside like a fool and entertain your neighbors.
• Karaoke.
• Read a trashy novel.
• Eat a big, gooey hot fudge sundae.
• Drive up to the mountains.
• Take a relaxing drive – anywhere.
• Barbeque.
• Go to the farmers market.
• Find a shady tree and fall asleep under it.
• Wear a funky hat.
• Catch some fire flies.
• Have a water balloon fight.
• Put on something sexy and wash your car.
• Find a drive in movie theatre, go with your S.O and get frisky in the car.
• Have lunch outside with your BFFs.
• Have a romantic picnic .
• Buy some cool new sunglasses.
• Get a department store makeover.
• Give yourself a makeover.
• Enjoy a cool fruity drink.
• Dance outside under the stars.
• Sing loudly with the car radio.

Whatever you do, do it! And do it with Wild Abandon!!! Have FUN!!!!!

Zooming Out of the Zone!

I just returned from a fabulous cruise. It was my first and I had a blast. I think part of the reason my trip was so amazing was that I made the conscious decision to do some different things and go boldly outside of my comfort zone.

Normally, on a vacation, I rest, shop, maybe go out to a nightclub and do some sightseeing. Since this was my first cruise, I decided to make it a cruise of ‘first’ – or close to firsts. I am not afraid of heights but I’m not a big fan of them either. Nor, as a life-long non-swimmer, am I a big fan of water, but when looking at a list of activities to do in Key West, parasailing sounded like fun.

Another excursion that caught my eye was horseback riding. Now, I have ridden before, but not since summer day camp in the 3rd grade, so I counted that as a ‘first’ too – my first time on a horse as an adult!

The parasailing was an adventure. Out of all the people on the boat, only six of us signed up for it. And, all of us were women! There were two pairs of friends and Doris, another solo sailor. She and I paired up. When we got to the boat, there were six other people from another cruise ship that had docked. And our daring dozen set off.

It started with a beautiful and relaxing boat ride. Our guides were two handsome and charming men. They took us up two at a time. I won’t lie, watching people go from the end of the boat straight into the air with legs dangling, gave me a few moments of pause. Before we knew it, it was time for Doris and me to head up. With lifejacket on and harness secured, we were off!

Up in the air, it was truly magnificent – the water, the sky. It was quiet. There was a gentle breeze. And, any fear I had evaporated almost immediately. Doris and I agreed that it was definitely worth the cost of the excursion and then some. Our brief 10 minutes went by quickly and on the way down, they ‘dunked’ us in the water before they brought us in. Amazing!

The next day, it was horseback riding. Talk about fun. I convinced my sister and her friend, my step-mother, and my aunt and her husband to come with me. We were all outside of our comfort zones! My Aunt Linda - known for her impeccable make-up and hair, and flawless nails - had never ridden before, but she was up to the challenge. We rode for about two hours in the heat – laughing and joking as we listened to stories about the Mayans. It was truly a memorable experience.

Oh, and it wasn’t a first but I karaoked. Okay, I have done that before (twice actually) but it was the first time I’d ever sung anything in front of my family, outside of grade school choir. I sang on the first night and actually made it into the Talent Showcase we had on our last night aboard.

My trip was so much richer and so much more memorable because I took a few chances. I don’t think I’ll ever do a vacation, the ‘old’ way again. Now that I’ve gone outside of my normal zone, I’ll be looking for other opportunities to pull a Star Trek and boldly go where I haven’t gone before!

Relax, Relate, Release!

I am headed to Miami! I'm meeting up with family and we are taking a cruise. It will be my first. Some people who know me might think that I'll have one eye on my cell phone and one hand on a keyboard while I am gone. Nothing could be further from the truth. When I take a break, I really take a break. I will not be carrying my laptop and I will have my cell phone but it will be turned off 95% of the time.

Technology can be incredible. As a single woman, I like having a cell phone with me when I am driving at night or walking an isolated park trail. I enjoy staying in touch with people via email and the ease and convenience of the Internet.

BUT ... I have a theory that all this technology has an ulterior motive ... to keep us working all of the time. Think about it. I can check my work email at home. My co-workers know my cell number. I can even set up your computer to work from home. Blackberrys, IPhones, laptops, it never ends.

But it should. When I am on vacation, I am unavailable. It's that simple. I don't want to talk about work. I don't want to think about work. I want to cruise. I want to parasail. I want to walk on the beach. I want to take a horseback ride through the Mayan ruins. I want to dance. I want to eat good food. And guess what? That is exactly what I will do.

Work isn't going anywhere. The job, the blog, the business, the website, will all be waiting for me when I get back. And when I do get back, I'll be better than ever because I will be rested, relaxed and rejuvenated!