Sunday, October 28, 2012
Work hard and play hard: My lifelong motto.
Towards the end
of summer, one of my clients was remodeling her home and made the decision to
order the tile needed for her project (that would be coming from Italy) in the
beginning of August. She sat in my
chair, still in disbelief over what she encountered during the process, “They’re
closed the month of August for vacation!” she proclaimed. I chuckled a bit to myself and replied, “I
should have warned you, that’s not uncommon in Italy.”
Living in L. A.,
I can’t exactly take a month off, but I always
make time for vacation. This very moment
I’m sipping a glass of wine and admiring the sun setting over the Santa Barbara
harbor—simply
sublime! My view in the opposite direction is the birds
circling the pier, palm trees swaying with the ocean breeze, and the hillsides
of Montecito in the distance serving as a perfect backdrop. At the start of my vacation last week, I experienced
the tranquility of a boat ride along the shoreline of Lake Mead—exploring the
bays and finding that perfect spot to turn off the engine of the boat to fully
absorb the stillness of the water and the cliffs of red rocks surrounding
me. The simple beauty of nature was
exactly what my mind, body, and soul were reaching out for after a year of hard
work.
Taking a much needed
vacation is like training for a marathon: The days of rest, between the
scheduled long training runs, are equally as important in maintaining an injury-free
body come race day. This parallel is also
my constant reminder not to make every-day
of my life feel like a race! Do your
work and do it well; however take the time to admire your achievements and let
the wondrous powers of nature breathe new life into another new adventure waiting
within to be awoken.
