After worship today I will be on vacation the next two weeks. We’re not going anywhere, as having a two month along on a trip would cause more stress than it relieved, but it’ll be nice to have the break. Truth be told, I’ve been running on fumes since Bump was born and should have taken family leave so I could adjust to the new reality. Twenty-seven year old me could take a week off and then get right back into the swing of things, forty-five year old me not so much. About three weeks ago I began feeling that I was getting my feet under me and felt productive, but then I got hit with a cold two weeks ago and still haven’t recovered all the way ¹. My psyche feels like a dry sponge – it has the potential to be supple and absorbent, but right now it’s all dry and brittle.

So for two weeks I’m not going to worry about being productive. I’m just going to be. I’ll still be writing, as this is good for my soul, I’m going to do my best to not feel burdened by what I’m not getting done. The truth is, despite my two months of declined productivity, I’m not far behind in all that much. I’ve even got about two-thirds of my sermons planned for the coming year. It’s just that I feel tired. It’s time to rest.

With any luck I may get back to going through the edits for Penny Gnomes as well – but I’m not setting any goals for this. If I find time, I’ll go over a chapter or two. If not, I’ll be quite happy taking day trips, napping, and spending my break capturing photos of beautiful things.