Operation Relaxation…Courtesy of Germany

Tuesday, May 10, 2011



Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Frankfurt, Germany to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding. I was genuinely excited during the weeks leading up to our trip, as it meant four days off from work…I couldn’t wait! As our departure date drew near, I made sure that all outstanding “to-do” items were taken care of, both at work and at home. I dropped the dog off, responded to all pertinent emails, and prepped for a few things that needed to be taken care of in my absence. I got it all done! So I thought!

Once we boarded the plane, a familiar and unsettling feeling engulfed me…WHAT DID I FORGET! I immediately dismissed this feeling, and resolved that I would handle whatever I forgot once we landed in Germany. I had my personal BlackBerry, my work BlackBerry, and my iPad…I was all set! Can you imagine what happened next?

Seven hours and twenty minutes later, we landed in Frankfurt. That gave me seven hours and twenty minutes to make a mental list of all the things I forgot to do before we left, a list exclusively comprised of work things. Again, no worries! We got our rental car, and headed for Babenhausen. We arrived at the hotel, and I immediately headed for my electronics. And guess what…..NO SERVICE! BlackBerry 1 had no service…BlackBerry 2 had no service…and there was no Wi-Fi in the hotel for my iPad! What in the world was I going to do!?

I’ll tell you what I did…I relaxed! I’m absolutely certain that I could have found somewhere that had Internet access, but I declined.  Why? As a Professional Diva, I have the tendency to be a workaholic. I am always thinking about work, even when I’m not there. It is definitely not a good thing. The only thing worse would be stressing about my lack of electronics while I was visiting a beautiful country that I had never visited…that would have been a crime!

As professional women, we have to learn to enjoy ourselves minus the thought of work. What’s the point of working all of those hours, and not taking time to enjoy the fruits of your labor on vacation? There is none! Additionally, not taking time to relax and enjoy time completely away from work is the main ingredient in work-induced “burn out.” We work hard so we can play hard, and in doing so we have to force ourselves to let go.

And that’s what I did…I let it all go. Whatever didn’t get done would have to wait until my vacation was over. Period! Once I made this decision, which took all of 30 seconds, my vacation officially began. I enjoyed myself in Babenhausen: I ate, drank, and was merry, and I refused think about work until Monday morning when I returned to the office. I even had the chance to read a book while I was away, which I never have time to do anymore because of my busy work schedule. All in all, I had a fabulous time, and I returned to work refreshed!




The moral of this saga is that we Professional Divas must hold ourselves accountable for our own sanity, which includes getting away from work…completely away…no BlackBerries, no iPhones, no iPads, no laptops, no Internet, no Wi-Fi….you get the point! We deserve an electronic-free vacation. We earn it every day! So….when’s your next vacation?

Frankfurt, Germany

21 comments:

Kate Pantier @ Mommy Monologues said...

I am with you on that! I absolutely FREAK out when my technology blitzes on me, but the very next thought is, well, now I don't have to work!

Hope the wedding was fun!

Counselor Musings said...

visiting from comment hour. I'm glad you were forced to take a break. It's rough at the start, but by the end I always enjoy it!

kita said...

I don't know if I could live without my phone I would go crazy but I think sometimes we need a break from our technology learn to live without it and discover life again. Al always love your page

Annie @ Mama Dweeb said...

Oh wow, I'd totally freak out too!! Glad you were able to relax though, what a way to be forced to unplug! LOL

Amy Anderson said...

I could live without my cell phone, but not my computer! #CommentHour

http://www.alittlenosh.net

Marie Noelle said...

Your so lucky you went to Germany! I hope you had fun!

Elizabeth said...

How was the weather? Do you have any more pictures? #commenthour

Jennifer said...

I definitely need an electronics free vacation. Glad you did it. I need that refreshed feeling again! #commenthour

Branson said...

I would say that no signal issue was definitely a blessing in disguise! I try to unplug for a while daily... it can be hard to put the phone away, though!

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

Great post. I've had a bit of an internet break lately; it's been great! came over from the SITS comment hour.

The Reason You Come said...

I would feel naked without my gadgets, too. But you're right; we should be able to survive without them! Lovely pic of Frankfurt, btw. I'd love to go there!

Visiting from #commenthour. :)

Unknown said...

I was so happy to hear there was no service...lol. It's amazing what we think is important when we are vacationing. Eat, Drink and be merry while you can. Work will still be there when you get back. Hope that you had an amazing time. :)

Anonymous said...

I agree about unplugging! I also visited Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, one of the best times I have had.


Visiting from CommentHour.

Just One Donna said...

Don't you just love down time? Getting away and forgeting the real world is a gift!!

ManWifeDog said...

SO funny commenting on a post where my picture pops up in the Related Links post! LOL! Girl someimes relaxation is jus 100 percent a MUST no matter what's waiting for you. A MUST!

Unknown said...

Wow - I am always so plugged in, I think I would freak out. But I always end up so happy when I HAVE to let go of my email and facebook for a while! Great post - visiting from #CommentHour

2Commentaristas said...

I think it's so true that it's at first scary as hell, then relieving to know that you're not tied to some form of communication. I mean, that's the whole point of having a vacation, correct? At least then I can tell everyone who might still want to be in contact with me that I had a legitimate excuse for turning off my phone, haha!

visiting from #commenthour

MoonNStarMommy said...

YAY for relaxing!!! Personally - I think I would go nuts..... LOL.... but I would hide it well.

Stopping by from last night's Comment Hour :D

Katy said...

A blessing in disguise! glad you got to relax and hello Germany?! I have always wanted to go!

stopping by from the #commenthour!
http://grabenandgabi.blogspot.com

caribbean princess said...

I am glad you were able to take a break! I love my technology too. Hope you had a great time !

Buttercream Blondie said...

I'm glad you actually got to relax and enjoy your trip! It was a blessing that your phones, ipad, etc. didn't work! It's so important that we allow ourselves to take a break and enjoy life once in a while :)

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Share My Post!