I imagine it’s hardly a surprise to those who know me, but I don’t “do” days off.

At least, not very well. I’ve been gifted? or cursed? With that feeling of inner restlessness

I have been working on mindfulness, sometimes mediation (although not very well! I can’t quiet the thoughts in my head. It’s a process, apparently)

It almost feels silly, failing at taking time off. And no, I’m not humble bragging here, I’m actually starting to think something is wrong with me. The idea of a beach vacation almost sounds painful, unless it involves daily activity like twice a day surfing and yoga in the middle, or day trips to explore a town. My idea of a great vacation is one where I learn something new, like a language or history of a country. Where my horizons expand.

Today’s word prompt is pink, which takes me back to grade ten, I think. We had to create a project for advertising some new product. I went crazy trying to come up with a hook for the product we were selling- which was milk. I had “Think Pink” signs all over the school, every wall I could find. Including the kindergarten hallway which was a little excessive given the reading level required for the poster was definitely not there. But I think the reason this popped into my head was that same feeling of more, do better, go bigger. I had zero interest in ever going into sales but part of me felt driven to make this product succeed. It was imaginary!

So today, I’m going to take a step back.

I have the day off work, and instead of doing my list of things that need to get done I’m going to take a little time to spend with my very pink loving girly-girl. Stuff can wait, but children don’t.

I looked at her this week and realized that she is so fascinating and has incredible stories, but is at the heart of the middle child dilemma. A younger brother who tantrums and doesn’t always sleep well who demands the attention, and another sibling who has activities multiple times a week.

She seems difficult sometimes, but she’s really not. She loves puzzles and books and dolls, and wants to be listened to at the same time a million other things are happening, usually about the time my brain wants to explode from frustration.  She feels her emotions so deeply that sometimes it’s painful to be next to her, but is always the first one to offer a hug and to feel bad for someone else.

so today, the only thing on my list of things to do is spend time with my four year old.

That’s a challenge I will happily take on. Think Pink!