We left on a Saturday morning, a weekend I point out, and yet our minds were still lingering on email, voicemail, and what-do-I-need-to-do-for-work thoughts. On the way to Bermuda we had a stop in Newark – which, by the way, is one sure way to make your final destination, Bermuda or otherwise, look fantastic. We had a two hour layover and my wife and I were both on the computers gripping tightly to our last chance at connectivity before we embarked on a week-long 25th anniversary getaway.
Getaway.
As the word implies, we planned get away from work, household duties, parenting, and all that goes with the daily suburban life of responsibility and to focus on each other and the blessing that 25 years of marriage has been to us. But getting away is not as easy as it sounds. Oh sure, we can talk a good game.
“I can’t wait to leave all this work behind.”
“I’m not even going to think about email.”
“They won’t even know where to find us.”
And yet, when we checked into the Fairmont Southampton hotel, the first question out of my mouth was, “Do you have free wi fi?”
Sad but true.
On the second day, over lunch, we discussed how hard it was to completely leave work behind. My wife works at IBM where there is lots of pressure. I work for myself where there is no one else to do the work for me. And yet, we are both completely dispensable. If something happened to either of us, the world would go on – even though we’d like to think otherwise.
One day as we were riding our scooters next to beautiful blue water and surrounded by lush green plant life, I felt a sense of freedom that came from focusing only on the fun, the beauty, and the freedom of what we were doing at that moment. It was then, I truly embraced the concept of Do it Well.
No matter what we’re doing, we find the joy and richness of the experience by fully focusing on the moment. Whether it’s working, parenting, or partying, if our minds are focusing elsewhere, we miss the moment we’re in. This is what Eckhart Tolle refers to as “The Power of Now.”
So, whatever you take on, keep your focus and do it well. And remember the importance of balance. Don’t only do work. Don’t only do parenting. And don’t only do vacation. We need a variety of experiences in life to fully live it.
Eventually, we were able to totally relax on our vacation. And the experience was extraordinary. But the day before we returned, our focus was challenged by the anticipation of email, voicemail, and everything else that waited for us back home. We had to shift again to keep our eyes on vacation. Because we still had time left and in order to fully enjoy it, we truly needed to focus on doing it well.