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Shelburne Free Press https://shelburnefreepress.ca/?p=11453 Export date: Sun Nov 24 8:06:38 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Editorial: Taking some time-out Something scary happened to me over the holidays. I relaxed. I took a week off between Christmas and New Year's, and it was wonderful. In this business, we work 7-days a week as required and papers go out every Tuesday and Wednesday whether you're feeling motivated, or not. In 2014, I took no time off. I ran around, covering news events, participating in fundraisers, volunteering my time on local committees and editing other people's work. In my spare time I raised three children. Over the holidays though, I actually allowed myself some time to enjoy the things I work so hard for. My home, my family and my television set. It was glorious and relaxing and I'm still feeling the healing effects of having some downtime. 2014 was possibly the busiest year on record for me. When I complied the ‘Year in Review' for last week's edition, I couldn't believe how much went on in this municipality – and how much of it I was in attendance for. Editing the Shelburne paper added a nice 20 hours a week of work to my schedule, and looking back, I honestly don't know how I managed everything – without falling apart. This brings me back to my downtime. You'll see in the picture I've posted with this editorial that I took my kids out for a milkshake over the holidays. A goofy, little thing to some, but a major awakening to me. Sitting in the booth at the 50's style diner in Alliston and watching my kids get along was amazing. Hat head and all, I was proud to be with them and spend time doing what real families do –laugh, talk and sip. All three of my kids offered me the first sip of their respective strawberry, strawberry and vanilla shakes. And I took them up on their offers. We left the diner and went home. Me to return to my computer to check e-mails, them to get back to their video game systems and my husband to return to the couch – as the lucky devil had three weeks off over the holidays. Of course I still had to be prepared to put out a paper when I came back from my stay-cation, so I had some work to do, but for the most part I was able to let my hair down and chill out. This year, I didn't make major promises; I didn't make a New Year's Resolution; and, so far in 2015, I haven't beat myself up for everything I could have, should have, or will never do. The term “time-out” usually has a different meaning in my household – sit on the stairs and wait for the timer on the microwave to go off ‘cause you're in trouble – but these days it means ‘chill', ‘relax', ‘don't sweat the small stuff', ‘it's going to be okay'. Don't wait for Family Day to spend time with your kids, to call an old friend or to go for a spa day – whatever equals relaxation to you. Rent five movies and don't leave the couch all weekend. As long as your bills are paid, there's food in the fridge and your family is safe and healthy you really don't have any problems. Go ahead, put yourself on a time-out, and if you're feeling guilty about having some time off, set the microwave timer for 5 hours and don't move until it goes off. I said so. By Wendy Gabrek (Originally written for The Times of New Tecumseth & Adjala–Tosorontio – my other newspaper!) |
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Post date: 2015-01-14 14:08:37 Post date GMT: 2015-01-14 19:08:37 Post modified date: 2015-01-21 13:53:09 Post modified date GMT: 2015-01-21 18:53:09 |
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