Hit the Reset Button

 

I took a deliberate sabbatical this week. Seems weird – right? I mean, the first week of a New Year is supposed to be Go-Go-Go. You've gotta start on all those New Year’s Resolutions (if you made any).

 

It’s the big push to begin afresh in the new year.

 

If the Christmas decorations are still up, you need to take those down and pack them away for another year.

 

And if your fridge is still filled with holiday foods and leftovers, you need to clear those right on out to get started on that Keto / low carb/ meatless / no dairy, no gluten, no sugar / water-and-cardboard diet.

 

I even heard it’s supposed to be a no alcohol Dry January.

 

Aw, c’mon…

 

Well, actually, it has been Dry January in Jane’s Domain insofar as I haven’t had a glass of wine all week. Not because I’m adhering to a “rule” some influencer set, but because I’ve been hermit-ing it this week and I don’t often have a drink when I’m home by myself.

 

Nothin’ sadder than a hermit sitting all alone in the dark bingeing on a bottle of Ménage à Trois Soft Red blend while simultaneously binge-watching Firefly Lane on Netflix.

 

But, seriously, I’ve gotta tell you – it has been a transforming week for me.

 

See, I was supposed to be on vacation these first two weeks of January, but we had to cancel the trip. Only I forgot to cancel Maggie Minx’ reservation at her little doggie Spa ‘n’ Play. Rather than lose the deposit, I decided to bring her there for a few days so we could get a mutual break. She can run and play with her doggie friends – as well as get a bath and a canine mani-pedi – and I can hit the “Reset” button.

 

The past seven years have been filled with dog-walking, dog-feeding and dog-tending responsibilities. Except when we were on vacation. And even then it’s usually a frenetic time of packing, traveling and adjusting to a new time zone or a different climate – until it’s time to do it all in reverse.

 

Don’t get me wrong – I love Maggie Minx. And I love to travel. Visiting new places and spending time with the people I care about is absolutely essential for my soul. But there is a kind of stress involved with vacations. 

I’m not the kind of person who nonchalantly tosses a few necessities in a duffel bag and takes off. Not without first making and revising numerous lists and piling clothes and accessories on the spare room bed weeks before the trip in anticipation of what I absolutely can’t travel without.

 

What can I tell you – I’m admittedly a little high maintenance. Vince knew it – and just let me be me. He’d even ask me for his list of Pre-Trip “to-do’s” and would get them done without complaint. What a guy.

 

Anyway.

 

This sabbatical has been good for me.

 

I’ve slept better this week than I have in a long time. I haven’t had to get up before I’m ready to get up. I drink my morning coffee while contemplating my day and spending quiet time being grateful for my life and the people I have in it.

 

I’ve not been out of the house all week. Since I was supposed to be out of town, I had no lunches or dinners with friends scheduled. No appointments. And no trips to the library, post office or gas station to complete.

 

I’ve slowly de-Christmased my surroundings without rushing the process and feeling stressed.

 

I have made lists of things I’d like to accomplish this year. But I’ve tried to be realistic about how much I can accomplish and how I can manage smaller chunks rather than attempting to make big sweeping changes.

 

Look. I’m never going to be the water-and-cardboard-diet-loving kind of person. But I can make small changes that will improve my health. And I’m never going to live in an HGTV kind of home because I have junk closets (not just drawers). But I can tackle those closets a little at a time until I’m satisfied with what possessions I keep and how they are stored.

 

We spend so much of our adult lives trying to be, well, adults. Responsible. Taking care of the things we’re supposed to take care of. And most of the time, we do these things because we ARE adults and we take those responsibilities seriously.

 

If you’re a parent, well, forget about it. You won’t have this chance for many years. Same if you’re still working. If you take a week off and decide on a “staycation,” you’re still trying to get projects completed around the house that you can’t get done on the weekend.

 

So I get it. Not many people have this opportunity. But this little sabbatical of mine has been rare and wonderful and I’ve been so grateful I could manage it.

 

But now I’m starting to get the itch to go back to my “normal” life. To get out and about. To see my friends and catch up. And even to get back to the gym, which I started going back to a month ago to rebuild some lost muscle on these old bones.

 

And I have to say – I missed Maggie Minx more than I thought I would. Well, perhaps not the nightly restriction of rolling over without dislodging a sleepy Yorkie. But the rest of it. Our multiple daily walks. And having her warm little body nap on my legs while I read a book or binge-watch Netflix.

 

But I won’t be watching Firefly Lane. I finished it this week. And not that bottle of Ménage à Trois Soft Red blend. I’ll wait until I have a friend over to share it with.

 

If you ever get the chance to have a deliberate sabbatical – even if it’s just for a weekend – I highly recommend it.

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, it appears to be dog-walking time.

 

And just like that – sabbatical over.