Vacation Magic

"A good vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work." 

~Morris Fishbein

All photos by Adam Austin

Recently, I took a family vacation to Holden Beach, and I didn't do a lick of work. Sure, I thought about my WIPs while I lay on blankets watching the opaline waters, but I didn't do anything I'd really call work. I pulled out the laptop one night, but I only typed a few words before conversation with my mom, The Golden Girls, and a National Geographic special on LSD research in the '50s and '60s finally convinced me to power down and enjoy the delightful battiness of Rose Nylund, psychedelics, and the woman who gave me life. 

And it was okay. 

I focused on family, the power of nature, and the magic of relaxation for a week, and I think I came back a better writer because of it. 

Author L. K. Madigan wrote the following about the writing life, and the more time I think about her quote, the more I appreciate her approach to the writing life:

 "The main thing is to WRITE. Some days it might be 2000 words. Some days you might tinker with two sentences until you get them just right. Both days belong in the writing life. Some days you may watch a ‘Doctor Who’ marathon or become immersed in a book that is so good you can’t stop reading. Some days you may be in love or in mourning. Those days belong in the writing life, too. Live them without guilt." — L.K. Madigan

Live them without guilt--I should chant it under my breath as I go through the day. Too often I berate myself for less-than-ideal word counts or the elusive story thread that leads me on a scavenger hunt of memories, but every bunny trail belongs in the creative life. It's good to push away from work on occasion, to open the heart, and let the experiences that enrich us, and our work, flood in. 

I'm back now, and I'm yearning for my work. 

Has a vacation ever made you yearn for your work?