Summer came on quickly this year and is about to leave just as fast. I blinked and realized that my family hasn’t taken a proper vacation this summer and what kind of Dad would I be if I didn’t take my son on a summer vacation? Sure, we have gone a few places and visited family, but I am talking about that vacation where you truly unwind and spend the quality time that you need to “reboot” the body and soul.
I am on the plane flying back from our vacation and wanted to share a few things with you. Things that we all need to think about as we scurry about like ants moving our own piece of dirt from one place to another. This post is more about reminding all of us about the important things in life and spending time with family as often as possible is one of those things. After all, what are we all working so hard for if we can’t enjoy life a little?
- Take Time to Smell the Roses – We have all heard this saying many times, but what does it really mean? To me, it means taking the time out from our busy lives to…just be. Put down the computer, the iPad, the smart phone and all the electronic devices we have all become so accustomed to and depend on. Stop worrying about what your neighbor is doing and focus on yourself. I know some of you reading this are saying “I don’t’ have the time or money to enjoy a vacation. I have too much to do. People depend on me”. Maybe that is you and maybe it is not. Take care of yourself first or you won’t be able to take care of anyone else. My wife reminds me of this constantly. While a long vacation is nice, it doesn’t have to be long or cost a lot of money. A simple long weekend away from the norm is what I am talking about. If you have a family, take them somewhere and focus on them. The last five days have been awesome for me because this is the first time I have opened my laptop since I left for vacation. And if you know me, my life revolves around computers. and you are probably wondering how I did it! Well, it was easy. I simply didn’t open it. And oh how I enjoyed it. Leave work behind because I can honestly tell you that it will be there when you return.
- Life is a Journey Not a Destination – This too is one that I constantly have to remind myself of. I am no different than anyone else and I find myself hurrying to finish the next task at hand. Sometimes we focus so hard on accomplishing whatever it is that we are working on that we do not enjoy the process. One thing that I have learned is that everything in life takes time. And, while we are working on our next project, goal, or bucket list item, remember that the journey itself is part of the process. Enjoy each step along the way and when we reach our destination, we won’t look back and wonder what happened along the journey.
- Family Time Matters – I don’t know about you, but I will be the first to admit that I get wrapped up in work and trying to become all I can be that I sometimes fail to take the time and spend with my family as I should. As I have gotten older and hopefully wiser, I realize the importance of this all too well. My grandmother passed away this year and it was another reminder for me that life is short and not permanent, at least not here on earth that is. Please take the time to tell that special someone that you are thinking of them. Give them a call to simply say hello because when they are no longer with us, we will not have that opportunity. If you have a family and raising children, it is important to be part of their lives. Everyone needs to figure out that balance between work and family time. Being a business owner, I struggle with this every day. Some days I am great at it and other days I am not. The point is, family time matters. Your spouse needs you. Your children need you. Take the time.
While I could go on with more things that we all think about from time to time, I won’t or I will be writing forever. I simply wanted to take a few minutes of your day and mine to remind all of us that there are things in life more important than simply scurrying about like ants just moving dirt from one place to another.
