I get very well rested sleep while on vacation. I feel free and open to anything. I am in better mood, less concerned about unexpected things. I want to keep it during “normal” life too. I wonder what makes vacation mode so relaxing. Few ideas:
- Lack of life maintenance to-do list. No appointment to book. no groceries to do, no planning needed, go with the flow.
- Allow the mess. The mess at home always stress me, but apparently not while on vacation. Look our messy room.
- No need for cooking. Although we could cook something at the airbnb, we usually don’t. We’d eat out 1-2 times a day and eat very simple fruits, snacks for the other meal.
- The novelty of a new place. Walking to anywhere seems an exploration.
- The non-productive mindset. When at home, if I have few hours of free time, I try to tackle something, to-do list, reading, planning. While on vacation, I do what feels fun/right at the moment. In 3 days, I’ve done manicure, massage and a facial. All these things I couldn’t find time in Brasilia.
- I said yes more often. We had more treats while on vacation, so many ice creams!
I spent yesterday extending this by not having to unpack and laundry, not even having to cook thanks to having a full time help now. She has been great! During our trip, she came everyday to work at usual hours, do a major organization/tidying up. What a great decision to hire her!
Lizzy went to school, I worked for few hours, then took a nap, read in bed, and finished season 3 of the diplomat. Sofia prepared for her MUN, packed, and daddy took her to airport around midnight.
I hope to extend this relaxing feeling, at least partially, to normal routines.
Our New Journey 
I think this is a great reflection. We just got home from our holiday too and I always like to use that transition time as a sort of blank slate/consider any changes I’d like to implement on returning home. Particularly at the moment as I’m at a bit of a crossroads work/family wise.
Your trip looked like such fun and I’m very impressed Sofia did the Inca Trail! What an experience! Machu Pichu just looks breathtaking. Hope you have a relaxing couple of days home.
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I love the relaxed feeling of vacations and not having the temptation or expectation to tidy or work on a project, etc. It’s such a nice feeling! I hope you can hold onto that vibe for as long as possible!!
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Yes, being free from the normal daily chores is a great feeling! I wonder how we could make life work while not being such a slave to our to-do lists? I mean- it’s hard to have fun while constantly working, cooking, and tidying up. Vacations are a good mental re-set!
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The term that stood out to me was ‘the non productive mindset’. That’s a big part of vacation, and can vary from trip to trip…some vacations, you go somewhere where the goal is to relax, swim, sit by the sea, take a hike. That feels more relaxed to me. Another vacation, you go somewhere where you want to see a lot of sights…museums, gardens, etc., and it can be a lot less relaxing. But I love them both.
I do hope you manage to keep some of the more relaxed vibes, it’s a nice change when life is so busy.
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