Crayons and Coloring Books

I have a pack of 64 Crayola Crayons. You know, the ones you wanted as a kid with the sharpener in the back. I haven't had them since childhood. In fact, I bought them recently, along with a few coloring books. No, I wasn't planning on babysitting or entertaining guests with young children. I brought them for me.


It might seem strange but there is a method to my madness. When I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I pull out my coloring book and I color. It relaxes me.


I remember speaking to a psychologist once who told me that she recommended for her patients to reach back into their youths and reconnect with an old past time or hobby. I thought about what I liked to do and while somethings seemed a little far-fetched for an adult - climbing trees, playing tag or four square -somethings were definitely doable.


Coloring was one. Word puzzles were another. I found several books of word games and honestly, it was like reconnecting with an old friend. It was relaxing. It was fun. It was oddly therapeutic. Both coloring and word games were also cheap!!! LOL! It can be a nice alternative to costly retail therapy or pound-packing emotional eating.


Surprisingly, a key component to relieving stress was locked away, a secret of my youth. I wonder what other good things I've managed to lock away back there or just forget?

Get Inspired

Have you lost your passion for something you used to love? If so, today’s blog post is for you.

I used to love to cook. I’d test recipes or make up my own. I’d love potlucks and special occasions at work when we’d have to bring in a dish. I had a great time for a few years hosting Thanksgiving dinners.

Yet over the years, cooking became more function than fun. It was something I had to do and wanted to get through as soon as possible. Meals became very rote and very basics. The passion I’d once felt was gone.

It took a cranky British chef to bring it back for me. I’m a huge fan of Hell’s Kitchen. Actually, I’m a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay. I watch Hell’s Kitchen. I followed him on Friday nights to Kitchen Nightmares and when he started Master Chef, I was in.

Unlike Hell’s Kitchen that focuses on actual culinary professionals or Kitchen Nightmares, with its real restaurants, Master Chef was about real people who just had a passion for cooking and baking good food.  Among the contestants were lawyers, servers, travel writers and marketing pros. These were people who still had the passion.

Their passion was infectious and when Christmas time came around this past year, I decided that I wanted to give myself a nice gift. After a lot of thought, I decided to get new cookware, and not just any cookware but the good stuff.

When my cookware finally arrived, I was ecstatic. That same night I started cooking. Now, I am looking forward to cooking in a way I haven’t in years. The investment was worth it because it reignited my desire to cook and once that passion was reignited, I realized exactly how much I had truly missed it. It was like reconnecting with an old friend.

So, if you have lost your passion, what can you do to reignite it? Believe me. It’s worth the effort.

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!

Get Some Rest!

If you are like most Americans you aren’t getting enough rest. In my opinion, good preventive health has three components: a healthy diet, moderate exercise and sleep. We hear about diet and exercise all the time but we don’t hear so much about sleep. In fact, in our workaholic society not getting enough sleep is considered to be a badge of honor. Maybe we need to rethink that concept.


Over a third of Americans say they aren’t getting enough sleep (according to a 2010 study commissioned by the Philips Center for Health and Well-Being). Of those, half of them blame stress for their lack of shut eye.


Not getting enough rest can have dire consequences. Loss of productivity at work, increased risks of driving accidents, issues with mood (impatience, short temper) and increased stress are all direct effects of sleep deprivation.


But it goes deeper than that. Researchers are beginning to link chronic ailments like diabetes, heart disease and obesity to a lack of sleep. If you are dieting, you know it’s a lot harder to stay focused on your diet when you are tired and sleepy.


If you pay attention to what you eat and you make time to exercise, then it stands to reason that you ought to start valuing your rest as well.


Here are some tips for getting more rest


1. Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary
There are two things you should be doing in the bedroom and they both begin with S (sleep and sex). Try not to bring your work into the bedroom. Also make your room as comfortable and relaxing as possible.


2. Take Time to Wind Down
I have battled insomnia all of my adult life, and I’ve found I have to make time to wind down. I make sure I’m off of the computer by 8:30 and I don’t answer my phone after 9:00 p.m. I’ve found that if I get involved in a major conversation I end up wound up after I’ve been trying to wind down! I also dim the lights tomake it more soothing.


3. Make Time for Sleep
Start with an extra 30 minutes either at night or in the morning. Recognize that sleep is a priority. A lot of driven people think that sleeping is a waste of valuable time. Change your thinking. Realize that getting enough sleep will help you be more effective and focused during your waking and working hours.


4. Drinking Does Not Help
A lot of people think a glass or two of wine before bed will help them relax. It is true … to an extent. The wine might relax you so that you get to sleep faster, but you won’t sleep as deeply and many times you may end up waking up in the middle of the night.


5. Develop a Routine
Make getting enough rest a habit and you can train your body to go to sleep earlier. After a few weeks of going to sleep and waking up at the same times (on weekends too when possible), your body becomes accustomed to it. Try this instead of sleeping pills which can be habit-forming.


Good night!

You Have My Permission

Now, he's got the right idea!

You have my permission to do absolutely nothing. Go ahead ... veg out in front of the TV, take a long nap, have a cup of coffee and people watch, mediate, listen to some good music, go to a movie, take a drive, indulge in a little retail therapy.

For a moment, be the anti-Nike: Just Don't Do It. Put the work down. Forget about the chores. Just for one day, rip up the task list.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is nothing. Give yourself the time and space to rest, rejuvenate and recharge. Stop doing and spend a moment being. If you are like most of us, all you do is go, go, go; but there is no prize for all that non-stop activity. In fact, working so much eventually makes you less effective, more stressed, more susustible to colds, headaches and nagging illnesses.

So take a few deep breaths and do something you enjoy or just do nothing. A little down time will actually make you a better parent, employee, employer, friend and partner. Don't wait until you can take a vacation or until there is a holiday (that brings with it stressors of its own). Do something now. Make it something small and something easy. I guarantee it will make a big difference.

Summertime and the Livin's Easy!

Two summers ago I went on a cruise with my family. Five days of relaxation and fun in the sun. Just being on the cruise would have been enough but I decided I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something fun and new. So I went parasailing in Key West, a first for me. And, I went horseback riding in Cozumel, something I hadn’t done since elementary school!

I had several wonderful experiences that I would have never had if I had stayed comfortably in my comfort zone. I ventured out and had a blast. None of my family went parasailing but several went horseback riding. We created some wonderful memories that day!

Summer is upon us. We have warm weather and the longest days of the year to look forward to. The kids are out of school, vacations are scheduled and beaches, amusement parks, and lakes abound. Enjoy this time. Take advantage of this time. Be comfortable but also do something that takes you out of that comfort zone.

Jet ski, go the mountains instead of the beach or the beach instead of the mountains, take a day trip or a weekend excursion to some place you’ve always wanted to visit but never got around to, sing karaoke. Do something new, do something different, do something you haven’t done since childhood!

Do something!

Laugh More

Adulthood is very serious business. There are jobs to go to, careers to navigate, bills to pay, retirements to fund, insurances to purchase, marriages and relationships to maintain, kids to raise, yards and homes to keep straight, and cars to service. A 4-year old laughs and smiles an average of 400 times a day. An adult laughs and smiles just 14 times a day.

We can learn a lot from toddlers. They see wonder and fun in everything. Of course, they don’t have the challenge of finding humor in a tax audit or a micromanaging boss either. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find a few ways to lighten up.

Think about all the things we take seriously, and actually get upset and annoyed by? Long lines at the grocery store, traffic, gossiping co-workers, finding something to fix for dinner and it goes on. But a lot of these things are things we can’t change, so let’s work on accepting them and not letting them get to us so much. I don’t think we’ll ever come close to 400 laughs and smiles a day but we can manage to at least double the 14.

At Wal-Mart, I have learned to accept that I will probably be in line longer than it took me to shop. I used to get extremely annoyed as I paced back in forth in front of the checkout lines, estimating the wait time of each in my head. Now, I find a line and treat myself to a little tabloid time. I can usually thumb through an Enquirer and sometimes even a Star while I wait.

I also get a lot of simple enjoyment by playing with Marty. He’s always ready to play but a lot of times I get so busy that the only time he gets with me is walk time. Now I try to make a point of playing with him just 5 minutes a day. Talk about a stress reliever!

I think a lot of the time, parents do something similar with the kids. Getting so caught up in school, running them to practices and play dates, and the obligatory feeding and washing, that they forget to have fun with the kids and just take time to enjoy them. A few minutes of fun with the kids can double that 14 laugh statistics in just a couple of minutes.

There are enough things we have to take seriously without having to add to that list. Thinking about your life, what can you stop taking so seriously?

Extreme Self-Care: In a Crunch

This is the ninth in a ten part series called, Extreme Self-Care: It’s Not Selfish!

It’s great to have an afternoon or an evening to yourself. It’s even better if you can have a whole day or a weekend, but let’s be honest. That’s not always realistic. In our busy lives, sometime, all you have is 30 minutes, or 15 minutes … maybe even 10 minutes. So here is a list of things you can do when you are short on time.

1. Walk the dog.
2. Take a quick walk around the block
3. Take a shower with your favorite shower gel
4. Sit in the car for a few minutes before going into the office or into the house
5. Get up 15 minutes earlier and enjoy the quiet before starting your day
6. Stay up 15 minutes later and enjoy a moment at the end of the day
7. Use your breaks or part of your lunch to enjoy quiet time (go for a walk, read a book in your car if you need to)
8. Stop for a quick cup of coffee on the way home.
9. Call an old friend and catch up while driving.
10. While running errands, stop into a favorite store and get yourself a little something.

What other ways can you think of to fit a little self-care into your busy day?

Cut the Cord

Being connected is great. Email, voicemail, cell phones, Internet, … WOW! I recently joined the ranks of the Blackberry Brigade. Now, I don’t even have to be near my computer to check my email and surf the Net. But being constantly connected has its drawbacks.

When cell phones and laptops started becoming so popular, I saw it for what it was – an insidious plot to keep you working all of the time. You can be reached in the evening, on the weekends, on the road and even on vacation!

People expect to be able to reach you all the time. If you aren’t answering the home phone, then try the cell. It doesn’t matter where you are: movies, shopping, driving in a storm, you should always be connected. If you can’t phone, then at the bare minimum, you should be textable. I’ve had people text me from the movies and even from church! Now we can Twitter, so you can let your followers know exactly what you are doing every minute of the day in banal detail – from bathroom breaks to what you are having for breakfast.

But there is something to be said for being occasionally unavailable.

Have you ever left your cell phone at home and secretly savored the thrill of being temporarily off-line? Admit it, you have. It’s nice to be away sometimes. This is why I advocate occasionally going completely off-line sometimes - even if it’s just for an hour or two.

I go half-way offline when I am writing. I don’t answer my phone but I do keep the ringer on. However, on those evenings where I feel completely spent and overworked, I turn off the Blackberry, the computer and the ringers on my phones. I have Caller ID, so I won’t be missing any calls and 9 out of 10 calls aren’t all that important anyway.

You can even take it a step further and turn off the television. Read a book. Take a bath. Just sit there. Enjoy the silence. Enjoy the peace.

Disconnect from the world and reconnect with yourself.

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!!!!!

Extreme Self-Care: Self-Care on a Budget

This is the fourth in a ten part series called, Extreme Self-Care: It’s Not Selfish!

In this economy, times are tight. People are losing jobs and desperately trying to hold on to what they’ve got. As belts tighten, a lot of life’s luxuries are the first things to go. But as we’ve discussed, self-care isn’t a luxury but a necessity.

So what can we do to continue to take care of ourselves when money is a big issue? Here are some things to consider.

Find Free Resources: Like books? Bypass Borders and head for the local library. Libraries also have DVDs, CDs and Books On Tape available for free or at low cost. Make use of the public park to walk and take the kids outside to play. Most cities offer free concerts and the like, check the newspapers to find those free summer festivities. Most museums also have free evenings or at least offer discounts on certain nights.

You Can Still Eat Out: You might not be eating at Ruth Chris or McCormick and Schmick but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy an evening out. Look for restaurants where kids eat free. For instance, here in Charlotte, McAllister’s Deli offers a 'kids eat free' evening every Tuesday night. Also take time to find some nice local hideaways.

Use Coupons: You use them for groceries but you can also find coupons for local restaurants and even amusement parks.

Be Creative: Can’t afford the spa? Invite a friend over and do your own nails and facials. Spend a romantic evening in and cook a nice meal together. Have a game night. Get your partner to give you a massage.

Barter for Babysitting: Can’t afford a sitter? Find a friend and offer to care for their children one evening if they will do the same for you. Use your childless friends too, offer to do something for them in return for watching your kids for an evening.

The point is that while you can cut corners, cutting out your self-care is not an option. You can still take time for you without taking a big bite out of your budget!

Extreme Self-Care: Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

This is the third in a ten part series called, Extreme Self-Care: It’s Not Selfish!

We, especially women, but men too, spend a lot of time focusing on taking care of others. We want to be there for the kids, for family, for spouses, for work and co-workers, for social obligations, even for pets! We feel good and valuable when we are there for others; yet, we often feel guilty when we are there just for ourselves.


We feel bad if we take time for ourselves or indulge in something we enjoy. We feel guilty if we take a moment to rest. On the one hand, we live in such a fast-paced society that we feel that we always have to be doing something. We can’t even just drive anymore without being on the phone, checking email on our Blackberrys or watching DVD’s! On the other hand, we put so much value on being there for others that it feels odd, almost wrong, for doing something for ourselves.


We like to be martyrs. We like to sacrifice and give to others. We consider it a badge of honor to give until we hurt. We think it’s a privilege to work ourselves senseless. But neither one is good for us in the long run.


We need to make time for rest and renewal on a regular basis. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People calls it Sharpening the Saw. He gives the example of a man sawing a log. If the saw is dull, it could take over a half hour to saw the log. However, if that man took just 5 minutes to sharpen the saw first, that same log can be cut in 10 minutes. You can be more effective if you just take a little time to sharpen the saw.


You are that saw. When you take time for yourself: to read, to rest, to enjoy a bubble bath, have lunch with friends, to get a massage, watch a favorite movie, you are sharpening your saw. Taking time for yourself makes you less stressed, less susceptible to illness, more patient and more focused. Everyone around you benefits when you take care of you.


My friend Tee planned a great weekend for her and an old friend who was coming to town for a visit. Together, they went to the spa and got manicures, pedicures, massages and facials She’d been manied and pedied and massaged before but this was her first facial and she loved it. Tee was amazed at how relaxing that facial was!


It was a revelation for her. She realized it had been two years since her last massage. She realized that she didn’t have to wait until a vacation or a visit from an old friend to treat herself. She didn’t need a reason to feel that good. She has vowed to make the facial a regular part of her routine. In fact, she plans on looking for other ways to indulge and relax. Like the old ad says, she’s “worth it!”


Think of how relaxed and focused and energized you feel after a good vacation. Why have that feeling just once a year? Make a list of affordable and available things you can do to relax and sharpen your saw. And then do them. Take that walk in the park, enjoy that hot bath, make a lunch date with your favorite girlfriends, have a date night, curl up with a good book, get your hair done.


If you still feel that caring for yourself is selfish, look at it this way. Taking care of yourself makes it easier for you to care for others. Self-care is one of the most selfless things you can do.

Takin' Care of Business: Leaving Work at Work

This is the fourth in a ten part series called, Takin’ Care of Business – Making Work Work for You.


Last week, I talked about managing stress on the job. However, if you don’t successfully manage it at work, you run the risk of taking it home with you. Not leaving work at work creates all sorts of problems: fighting with the spouse, snapping at the kids, emotional eating, withdrawing from social activities, and losing sleep are just some of the effects of not being able to leave work at work.

I had a co-worker who had recently been promoted to a supervisory position. He would spend 12 hours or more at work tying up loose ends. He told me he was afraid he’d forget something if he didn’t take care of everything right then. I gave him two suggestions. I told him at 5:00 p.m., to make a list of all the things he needed to take care of the next day. Writing out a to-do list would help keep things from falling through the cracks and give him some much needed piece of mind.

Then I told him to use his commuting time to separate from work. Favorite music or books on tape were a start but I also told him to start focusing on his evening. What would he have for dinner? Was anything good coming on TV? What things could he take care of around the house? The point was to stop focusing on work and start focusing on all of the other things he had to do. Work worries need to stay at work.

I ran into him a few days later and I could actually see the relief on his face! He had been using the list and as a result he’d been getting more done and leaving on time. He said using his commute to refocus also helped. By the time he got home, work was a distant memory.

I read about a man who, as he would come home in the evening, imagined putting his work worries on the potted tree outside his door. They would stay there until he picked them up the next morning, on his way to work. He made sure that he didn’t take them into the house with him. I do something similar with the shower. After a particularly bad day, I like to imagine all my worries and troubles washing down the drain with the soap suds. It can be a particularly powerful visualization.

Communication is also key. If you need a moment to refocus when you get home, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Sit in your car for a minute if you need to, or park for a moment around the corner. Work something out with your spouse so that you can have a moment or two to yourself when you get home. It doesn’t have to be an hour, sometimes five minutes can be enough.

Comfort Food for the Soul

Macaroni and Cheese, mashed potatoes and down here in the South, fried chicken, are the quintessential comfort foods. They offer comfort not just because they taste good but because they are surrounded with memories of simpler times – before the traffic jams, bills, multi-tasking and long work days took over our lives. Times when your days were filled with bike rides, games of tag and hide and seek and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Now, more than ever, we need comfort, but I’m interested in looking at other places to find that comfort because too much comfort food can lead to some very uncomfortable and tight fitting clothes!

We need to seek out comfort throughout the day and find ways to distress.

In the car: I fill my CD player with music I love. In fact, one co-worker got a good laugh out of me when she pulled up next to me as we were leaving work. I didn’t even see her but she definitely saw me dancing and bopping my head to Maroon 5! Sometimes it’s upbeat songs, other times it’s more mellow and subdued, on occasion it’s even been a book on CD, but whatever it is, it makes for a much calmer commute.

At work: I use music at work but, since I have the luxury of having an office with a door, sometimes I just close it. Maybe it’s because I grew up as an only child, but the solitude alone for me can be comforting. Taking walks at my break is also a great way for me to relax on the job.

At home: My home is my sanctuary and just being there for me is comforting. There are some days that all I have to do is walk through my door and I instantly feel better. Playing with Marty (my toy poodle) is comforting too. But at home, nothing beats a nice warm bubble bath!

With our busy lives we have to make time to comfort ourselves and soothe our own souls. It’s not a luxury. It’s a priority. In fact, it’s a necessity. If you don’t have the time, make it. Just 15 minutes a day can be enough. Get the kids and the spouse to work with you. If you think about it, they have a vested interest. If you are happy, they are happy.

So what are you going to do today or at least some time this week to comfort yourself?

First Class Treatment

I was in Montana for work all last week and I flew back to Charlotte last night. It had been a long day and by early evening, the only thing separating me from home was the four hour flight from Salt Lake City to Charlotte. I sat on the aisle in the first row of seats in the Coach section.

I had a perfect view into First Class where there were two very pleasant and attentive flight atttendants for the handful of VIP passengers. Those in First Class had drinks before take off and just in general seemed to be having a good time being showered with extra attention. Meanwhile, just one row and a flimsy blue drape away, I sat in Coach among the crying children and cramped seats. I watched while they had snacks in First Class, more drinks and a nice hot meal with real silver and glassware.

And I waited in Coach, with over 70 people, who were also being served by two flight attendants, for almost two hours just to get a soda and pay top dollar for a cold fried chicken sandwich. When I asked for one of the Margaritas they'd been promoting, I was told they didn't have time to make one for me.

It occurred to me as I sat there eating my sandwich that we tend to treat our loved ones as if they are riding in Coach. Like those Coach flight attendants, we are often spread too thin with too many things to do and too many people to serve. No time to do anything extra.

Yet every once in a while, it would be great if we could treat those we love to a little first class treatment. Run a hot bath for the hubby after a hard day. Give the wife a day off and treat her to dinner (or cook it yourself). Spend an evening with the kids doing something they absolutely love. Go get manicures with your best friend.

Believe me, a little first class treatment can go a long way.

Taking a Dump

Life is good! And it’s also very busy. I will be out of town for work for a week. I’ve got coaching to do, two websites to manage, a few deadlines to meet and I’m moving at the end of the month. I’ve been running like I crazy woman and right now, I feel like it’s catching up with me.

So what is my plan for tonight? First, I’m going to do what I call a brain dump. I’ll pull out my trusty planner and write down all those to-do’s that are racing through my head. I always feel better after a brain dump. Getting those ideas out of my head and on to paper gets rid of that nagging fear that I’m going to forget something.

After that I’m going to do … nothing. Well, actually I will do a couple of things. I’m going to take a long bath, write in my journal and maybe get some reading done or find something good on television.
If I tried to work tonight, I don’t think I would get anything done tonight anyway. I’ve learned that when I’m tired and I try to force myself to work, I end up stressed and frustrated and unfocused. Any work I do accomplish will take twice as long and end up half as good.

So this evening, I will relax and tomorrow, I’ll wake up rested and ready to go.

Now … I’m going to go take that dump!

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!