#Takeabreak #takeatimeout
Okay, so it wasn't during the initial lockdown days. This was during "relaxed lockdown" in India.
3-days leave coupled with a weekend and I had a 5-day break from work. This was the longest break I had taken from work in the first 5 months of the year.
A lot of people asked me why I was taking a holiday when I knew I would be locked up at home, nowhere to go, no travelling, no getaways, no long drives, no friends visiting, no short trips. I decided to take the plunge - calling it a "well-deserved mental break".
So, here is how it went.
Day 1 of 5: It was my 40th birthday. So, honestly I didn't do anything. I just hung around the house, participating in the Treasure Hunt my 10-year old set up for me, eating food cooked by the better half, advising him on finding his way around the kitchen, talking to friends. One of the things I noticed was "video fatigue" is a real thing. So I didn't video call, I "talked" to friends from school, college, early work years. So many stories and memories came tumbling out...oh! Did we ever think we would be 40?? What a shock!!!
And then the news of cyclone Amphan. Terribly worried about folks in Kolkata.
Note to self - need to start off on a health journey - from tomorrow!!!
2. Day 2 of 5: Terrible hangover!!! (Note to self, your 40-year old liver is struggling)
My 80-year old mom in Kolkata has been left without a water connection due to the cyclone. Spent a few hours getting a plumber to visit her home and fix the pipes. All morning she hands off her litany of woes!!! And I realise, this is the longest we have spoken in many years...
I spent the day "stuck" to my 10-year old. What does being stuck mean? This is when we apply imaginary Fevicol to ourselves and then, we roam around the house like Siamese twins. I will leave you with this image in your mind - a 40-year old grown ass woman and a 10-year old stuck at the shoulder walking around the house!
Day 3 of 5 - (woke up to realise that I had spent nearly half of my break without having accomplished much). Spent the day cooking, meeting a family friend, making a note of all the "firsts" accomplished during the lockdown, listed how the 40th birthday was unique in so many ways, created collages of all the dishes I cooked for the first time at home (see pics), completed reading The Book Thief and began The Handmaid's Tale. Woooohooooo!!!!!!
This was also the day we spent doing some Mathematics. My 10-year old wrapped up her chapter on Decimals and Percentage, and all my learning/training skills came to good use.
And just in case you are wondering, here is the list I made of the 40th birthday:
So many firsts:
Day 4 of 5: (have not started any of the healthy stuff I was supposed to do - sleep early, wake up early, exercise, eat less, but have finished binge watching a popular Pakistani series...)
This being a Saturday, just a part of the regular weekend! So the usual...cook, clean, a bit of gardening, nap, read...dance, sing, find recipes, drool over YouTube recipes, bingewatch "somebody feed phil", play scrabble, chess, ludo...chat with college friends.
Day 5 of 5 - (I am staring at Monday again!!) Let's get grocery shopping.
Note to self - From tomorrow, begins my new life - good sleep, good food, exercise regularly!!!
5 days are over and I am back to work. My experience can be summed up as follows:
1. It is perfectly okay to not do anything. Just "be".
2. Empower your family members to take on responsibilities otherwise considered "out of scope". My kid now makes sandwiches and sets the table perfectly!
3. Pick up or renew a hobby. My better half has found a new skill in the kitchen - baking. He is brilliant at following recipes!!!!
4. Enjoy the time you have at home with your family.
5. Our time together means - reading together, playing a board game, watching Netflix/Prime, doing crafts, etc. Define your own family time and activities.
6. "Lockdown breaks" are good. No travel, no malls to visit, no traffic woes - do nothing, rest, relax the soul and the body, enjoy your home, spend time with your family, rejuvenate and come back energized!
7. Take the time to truly reconnect with friends and extended family.
The earth has taken a break, surely we all can!!!I am super glad I did...(and yes, it helps being a family of gluttons!!!)
Okay, so it wasn't during the initial lockdown days. This was during "relaxed lockdown" in India.
3-days leave coupled with a weekend and I had a 5-day break from work. This was the longest break I had taken from work in the first 5 months of the year.
A lot of people asked me why I was taking a holiday when I knew I would be locked up at home, nowhere to go, no travelling, no getaways, no long drives, no friends visiting, no short trips. I decided to take the plunge - calling it a "well-deserved mental break".
So, here is how it went.
Day 1 of 5: It was my 40th birthday. So, honestly I didn't do anything. I just hung around the house, participating in the Treasure Hunt my 10-year old set up for me, eating food cooked by the better half, advising him on finding his way around the kitchen, talking to friends. One of the things I noticed was "video fatigue" is a real thing. So I didn't video call, I "talked" to friends from school, college, early work years. So many stories and memories came tumbling out...oh! Did we ever think we would be 40?? What a shock!!!
And then the news of cyclone Amphan. Terribly worried about folks in Kolkata.
Note to self - need to start off on a health journey - from tomorrow!!!
2. Day 2 of 5: Terrible hangover!!! (Note to self, your 40-year old liver is struggling)
My 80-year old mom in Kolkata has been left without a water connection due to the cyclone. Spent a few hours getting a plumber to visit her home and fix the pipes. All morning she hands off her litany of woes!!! And I realise, this is the longest we have spoken in many years...
I spent the day "stuck" to my 10-year old. What does being stuck mean? This is when we apply imaginary Fevicol to ourselves and then, we roam around the house like Siamese twins. I will leave you with this image in your mind - a 40-year old grown ass woman and a 10-year old stuck at the shoulder walking around the house!
Day 3 of 5 - (woke up to realise that I had spent nearly half of my break without having accomplished much). Spent the day cooking, meeting a family friend, making a note of all the "firsts" accomplished during the lockdown, listed how the 40th birthday was unique in so many ways, created collages of all the dishes I cooked for the first time at home (see pics), completed reading The Book Thief and began The Handmaid's Tale. Woooohooooo!!!!!!
This was also the day we spent doing some Mathematics. My 10-year old wrapped up her chapter on Decimals and Percentage, and all my learning/training skills came to good use.
And just in case you are wondering, here is the list I made of the 40th birthday:
So many firsts:
- First 40th birthday 🤣🤣
- First home made birthday cake (pic below)
- All meals at home on a birthday
- All hand made cards and no store bought flowers/greeting cards
- 2 digital gifts from the husband and a pile of books from my bestie
- Breakfast cooked by the husband - Naveen made shakshuka for the first time
- Cake and breakfast made by the husband and child
- A treasure hunt to find my gift
- Loads of conversations with friends
Day 4 of 5: (have not started any of the healthy stuff I was supposed to do - sleep early, wake up early, exercise, eat less, but have finished binge watching a popular Pakistani series...)
This being a Saturday, just a part of the regular weekend! So the usual...cook, clean, a bit of gardening, nap, read...dance, sing, find recipes, drool over YouTube recipes, bingewatch "somebody feed phil", play scrabble, chess, ludo...chat with college friends.
Day 5 of 5 - (I am staring at Monday again!!) Let's get grocery shopping.
Note to self - From tomorrow, begins my new life - good sleep, good food, exercise regularly!!!
5 days are over and I am back to work. My experience can be summed up as follows:
1. It is perfectly okay to not do anything. Just "be".
2. Empower your family members to take on responsibilities otherwise considered "out of scope". My kid now makes sandwiches and sets the table perfectly!
3. Pick up or renew a hobby. My better half has found a new skill in the kitchen - baking. He is brilliant at following recipes!!!!
4. Enjoy the time you have at home with your family.
5. Our time together means - reading together, playing a board game, watching Netflix/Prime, doing crafts, etc. Define your own family time and activities.
6. "Lockdown breaks" are good. No travel, no malls to visit, no traffic woes - do nothing, rest, relax the soul and the body, enjoy your home, spend time with your family, rejuvenate and come back energized!
7. Take the time to truly reconnect with friends and extended family.
The earth has taken a break, surely we all can!!!I am super glad I did...(and yes, it helps being a family of gluttons!!!)
To top it all, this is my first blog! Numerous travels and vacations and the only time I choose to blog about my "holiday experience" is when I was at locked at home!!!
