Lazy Holidays

I was recently on holiday with friends.  It was exactly what I needed … time away from all the things.  It was nice to have a lazy holiday.  Sometimes I want to be busy, exploring, immersing myself in the culture and history of a place and sometimes, I want quiet, I want unscheduled.  This holiday was exactly that … unscheduled. 

When I say “lazy”, I really mean unscheduled.  I spent a lot of the day outdoors - it is still summer after all!  

It was nice, waking up to a quiet cottage, I like quiet in the morning … I could get up, grab my headphones and runners and head out for a walk.  Given the road the cottage was on, it was more like going for a hike, but it was a perfect way to start my days.  The loop I figured out took roughly an hour.  An hour of guaranteed solitude, just me, my thoughts and my soundtrack.  

Sometimes I’d come back to life in the kitchen, the smell of coffee brewing … sometimes I’d still be the only one up (depending on just how early I’d gotten up).  I could change into my swimsuit and a sundress, start the coffee, empty the dishwasher and get breakfast. I’d sit, eat my breakfast, listen to music and read. 

Random side note, I’m the only morning person in my closest friend group.  Most of my friends are either night owls or that middle ground - where they don’t stay up too late but also don’t get up too early either.  

Around 9.30 we’d take our boards down to the water and go for a morning paddle.  This is my favourite part of lazy holidays … after paddling for about an hour, we’d be ready for second breakfast.  I basically become a hobbit on lazy holidays!

After second breakfast, I’d read a little more before heading back down to the water, where we’d swim, paddle, swim some more.  It’s amazing how long you can play in the water … or at least how long I can play in the water.  It helps when kids are around and those kids are water babies too … they give you an excuse to play!  Eventually, we’d make our way back to the cottage where we’d shower, dress and have an afternoon snack with a drink and a book. 

Rabbit hole: I love reading.  I go through periods when I find it hard to focus and I don’t read as much as I want and then I go through periods where I consume books and lose time to reading.  

Lazy holidays call for magazines and easy reads that are light and have characters you can love, that you can root for.  I packed four books, the last four in a series I have been dragging out for over two years.  Admittedly, four was an ambitious goal given the head space I’ve been in and the number of days I was going to be away.  Good news, I read two of them, well, two and the magazine.  

After dinner we’d play games or watch a movie or both.  All of us curled up in the living room … each leaving when sleep called.  

Some days we explored nearby towns or headed in for water.  One day we saw the wolves … that was amazing … they were beautiful and I could have sat and watched them for hours.  We stumbled upon a train museum, which was oddly satisfying and surprisingly interesting.  I love how excited the volunteers were to share their knowledge on local history.  

No matter what adventures made up the day, I went to bed feeling productive, like I had used my day, used my time wisely … I felt tired, but not exhausted and I slept well. 

I love holidays’ like this, where you’re gone the exact right number of days, you’re not busy but at the end of the day you feel like you’ve done something, you’ve had the perfect balance of movement, fresh air, and nothingness scattered throughout the day.  So when your holiday is over, you feel rested and recharged, which is the point of a holiday, right? 

I have a busy September, so maybe having two holiday books left is good, they can remind me to pause, even just for a few pages … enjoy some unscheduled escapes … until the next holiday!