The astute amongst you will have noticed I haven’t blogged for a while. Sorry. I’ve been away, I’ve been house-hunting and I’ve just been crazy busy with work. But I’m back now.
Anyway, during this last month I spent a fantastic week in Crete with my Mum. Now, I’m more of a backpacker but Mum had booked a fantastic resort which I actually thoroughly enjoyed. The food was amazing with so much fresh produce to chose from and I’ve tried to continue eating healthily a la Mediterranean since I’ve been back. I’m doing ok but it’s harder when it’s not all lovingly prepared for you.
By the way, I’m actually not one of these people who won’t go abroad due to carbon emissions. Yes, I do what I can at home – I’ll be walking a mile and a half to the shops later – but a holiday is very valuable to me. In particular Mum had been ill and had broken and dislocated her arm and the week in the sun did us both the world of good. Running at 6.30am in the early morning sunshine followed by a dip in the sea did wonders for my own wellbeing and I can’t wait to go back.
So, you’re probaby wondering what this has got to do with the title of today’s blog. Well, the hotel’s internet room wasn’t working. At first I was frustrated thinking of all those emails in my inbox. The next day I tried again and still it wasn’t working. I started to get a little anxious. What if I was missing some major piece of information, a new client enquiry or just missing out. But there was nothing I could do about it. There wasn’t an internet cafe near by and I don’t own a Blackberry (hideous things in my opinion). So all I could do was relax and forget about it. Well, I am so glad the internet access was down. I enjoyed the holiday even more, my mind quietened down, I could relax in the sun without thinking of how to reply to certain emails. And guess what? The world didn’t end! I didn’t miss anything of major importance and half my inbox was junk mail anyway.
It was quite a revelation in a way. Is the feeling of having to be near email and internet actually just a sign that we are full of our own self-importance, do we think that the our friends, colleagues and families can’t live without us if we aren’t online? If I really was needed urgently then my boyfriend and my brother knew how to contact me.
I’ve seen people almost have a nervous breakdown at not being able to get online for an hour let alone a whole day. Lord knows how they would cope if without access for a whole week.
But perhaps they ought to give it a go. There was a time when none of us had even heard of the email and internet and I bet we all got on fine back then. Not thinking of the outside world makes us concentrate on the here and now – the walk along the beach, the evening drink watching sunset, learning about an amazing piece of ancient history that is too fast becoming forgotten, resting. Proper resting including resting the mind. It’s a little like meditation, emptying your mind of all things unnecessary for that moment in time. You feel energised, your mind feels fresh and you do really do come back from your holiday feeling rested – which is after all the point of a holiday.
So next time you go away, be it a week or a weekend, be brave – leave the laptop or Blackberry at home and don’t go near an internet cafe. Start with just an online-free day if a weekend is too much. I promise you the world won’t cave in and you’ll feel strangely but wonderfully liberated.
