Unplugged

Sometimes it’s important to unplug…figuratively and literally. After the NJ Marathon on May 1^st I was feeling a little burnt out. I also had a very real issue with my hamstring that I was only managing – but not healing – since February. The “active recovery” wasn’t working. So now I’m taking some real time off. I need to recharge mentally too. So I’m taking some of the pressure off. Giving myself a break. Allowing myself to be a little less focused. A little less disciplined. I’m unplugging.

June is a bad month for me. It was the month I started dating my late husband 24 years ago. We were married on the 6^th a year later. It’s also the time two years ago that our lives began to spiral out of control. Although I’ve found my “new normal” and I have way more good days than bad days, there are those occasional bad days. Bad days come when old feelings are stirred up; sometimes because of the date on the calendar, the weather, or something someone else is experiencing, or sometimes for no reason at all. This Saturday, the 18^th would have been my father’s 95^th birthday; Sunday is Father’s Day…and the fourth anniversary of my mother’s death. So it’s all very emotional. You may recall that I had planned a weekend escape at the beach. I wrote about it.

I was so looking forward to walking along the beach in Montauk. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach; having my morning coffee on the balcony overlooking the Atlantic…all so good for the soul. My happy place. I was looking forward to running the Shelter Island 10k for the 14^th time. But we cancelled the trip. My daughter got a summer job working as a camp counselor and has to be at an all-day, mandatory orientation and training tomorrow. It’s an important lesson for her to learn that an obligation and commitment to an employer is important, that sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and perhaps most importantly, that I was very proud of her for getting this job and I support her in this endeavor even if it meant sacrificing this annual trip.

So what am I going to do this weekend? I’m going to unplug. Literally. I still have off from work today, so I’m taking the day to myself. But after I post this and wish all the dad’s on Facebook a happy Father’s Day as they start off their weekend, I’m shutting down and I don’t plan on powering back up again until Monday morning. I’m going to take a walk, maybe a drive, work in my garden, take pictures with a camera that’s not on my phone, clean the house, spend some quality time with my girl (do you think I can get her to unplug too?) and try to remember what life was like before cell phones, and laptops, and social media. I’ll tell you all about it…on Monday.

Montauk. The End. June 2015