My second post for Blogging from A to Z April Challenge . The letter is B – Breaks.
I have loved this word ever since I started working, though not at the initial stages. The fondness for it started a little later, when fatigue began to creep into my limbs and spread its ugly fangs into my soul. No, I have never hated my work. I have in fact, always been passionate about my work. However, a rigorous schedule starts leaving its impact on the body. That coupled with mounting mercury levels over long periods of time. Global warming, we call it. In a city like Kolkata, summers are killing with their high humidity levels that sap away all energy.
So now I passionately love my summer breaks, winter breaks, session breaks, weekend breaks and every other break that comes my way. These breaks are simply holidays when I am not exactly free, but am doing stuff without any deadlines, in my own way, at my own pace. I wake up later than usual, sip my morning coffee at a leisurely pace and then begin my day. I cook soul food – things that are part of a bucket list of items that I have, along with traditional items. I watch videos, text loved ones, ruminate about life situations and let my heart and mind be free.
It’s actually an art – the art of taking a break. It involves slowly weaning away from the drama that invariably comes with life. It involves dropping emotional and mental baggage outside the door. It means taking a deep breath and transforming yourself into the Personal You. It means diving into your inner space and being in it for a while.
Technically, breaks are given to us. But it’s also means “taking the break” that is being given. Sleep, take walks, travel, read, catch a movie – do whatever it takes to take your mind off things that pressurize you.
Most importantly, a break is not an escape. It’s a way of healing your worn out self and getting back to daily life, better equipped and with a better perspective.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” –
Anne Lamott
Image : Zulmaury Saavedra ( Unsplash )
