We all live by our calendar, right? It keeps us mercifully on track and makes us the ultra-productive human beings we aspire to be. Thus, when reviewing my calendar last Tuesday evening, I was shocked to discover a hole, actually a miraculously large hole from Thursday at 9 am until Friday at noon.
The desert bloom at Anza Borrego east of San Diego had been in the news for days. It was coming close to the peak. The weekend would be jammed with people and all the hotels would be booked. Could we sneak out mid week? Assuming a “no” answer from my hardworking attorney spouse, I meekly put the suggestion forth. He looked at me with a very long pause. hmm, I thought, this is a definite no. “Well, work is a little slow, I may be able to do that…..”
“Yes,” I shouted, pummeling the sky with my fist. “I will find a hotel.”
So, delighted, I went through every hotel in the Borrego Springs area. Nothing. On to Julian, where I found a B & B and we were going!
Next morning I shared with my Vistage group that we were sneaking away. Oh, how delicious it feels.
In the middle of the speaker presentation, I got a text from my hardworking attorney spouse that he had to go to a hearing Thursday morning and we couldn’t leave until 11. Argh!!! He suggested that I see if I could reschedule my noon meeting on Friday. Oh, it is a matter of deep integrity to me to keep my commitments. I struggled with that for 3 hours. i finally decided to put it to the duo I was to meet on Friday. They gave me the pass I was hoping for.
Finally, we were off on Thursday at 11. It was almost 4 hours to the flowers and worth every second. We noodled around taking pictures in the 96 degree heat. Never have I seen so many wildflowers. We went back on Friday and spent another 2 hours strolling through cactus fields and flower fields.
Totally refreshed, we came home to work on our taxes all weekend. It wasn’t easy to get away, but it was worth it. Whether playing hooky is one day, one week, or one hour, fitting one in may really refresh your soul.
Photo by hardworking attorney spouse aka Paul Dye – Henderson Canyon Road in Borrego Springs