Sunday, September 19, 2021

Do you know how to rest as a writer?

 My husband and I took a late 25th anniversary trip for just the two of us. We went to Big Island, Hawai'i and loved our time there. We hiked in rainforests, admired waterfalls, drove all over the island in search of historical sites, beautiful vistas upon beautiful vistas, great food, and beaches to enjoy for short bits of time. We visited the new caldera of the Hawai'i Volcanic National Park (we saw it back in 2011 before the 2018 lava flow) and walked through the lava tubes again (old ones, not the recent ones).

My husband has reddish blonde hair and comes from a red-headed family so we remembered to use sunscreen, wear sun shirts, and get into the shade as much as possible. Other than the day we stayed out at a beach for nearly five hours, we managed to keep our skin safe. (We know a few people who have suffered from skin cancer, so we take this pretty seriously). 

We loved all of it, and we loved spending time with just each other. Since we were there at the beginning of the slow season, there were no crowds and we managed a good six feet or more distance from most people other than when we ate out and when we were on the plane (masked up with plenty of checks for COVID beforehand). Even when we ate out, we were separated via table distance and we ate outdoors every single time because...Hawai'i.

Given all of that, we were sad and slightly worried to learn that Hawai'i like many other places has an upswing of case numbers. Masks were on everywhere, and we did our best to use sanitizers and hand soap as often as we could. 

If you show up in Hawai'i these days, you won't get greeted with leis and alohas. You will get greeted by burly tall National Guardsmen doing temperature checks. If you have a temp, you will get quarantined immediately. 

So, it was travel during CoVID which is slightly less fun than the old-fashioned way, but we enjoyed ourselves and remembered how to rest. My husband doesn't rest well, and I struggle with it, too, so it took a bit to remember how.

What rest looks like to me:

  • Taking time off from regularly scheduled work, volunteering, and even social media contact.
  • Writing only in my journal or for fun/silly projects. 
  • Not taking phone calls from anyone other than family members, and even limiting those.
  • Putting down the phone, or at least only using it a little. (This was tough for me.)
  • Getting outside.
  • Taking deep breaths of fresh air (not next to crowds).
  • Sleeping in.
  • Watching old movies on TV we would never watch at home.
  • Exercise outside - hiking, walking, bicycling, swimming, etc. (I'm not in great shape, but I still like to move.)
  • Saving lots of room for dessert at restaurants by splitting entrĂ©es.
  • Water elements are always the best (for me). I like waterfalls, lakes, rivers, snow, ice, and the ocean. Since I did eat some shave ice, I'm going to say I managed to enjoy all but one of these types of water on the trip. I even like rain and we got some of that, too. 
  • If I can, I like to travel. If I can't, I like to find new places to walk or just be outside.
  • Taking photos because I like to take photos. 

I'm not done editing most of the photos from the "good" camera, but I do have some I already shared from my phone on Instagram.







How do you rest?

And when?


It was really odd to me to rest less than a month before a book release, but I managed to turn off that part of my brain for the trip and when I came back, I felt refreshed and ready to get to work. If you signed up for a guest post or shout-out, you will be getting an email soon.

If you would like to help with my book release and didn't already sign up, email me at tyreantigger (at) gmail (dot) com - it's happening from October 4-13.

Many thanks to those who have signed up!






11 comments:

H. R. Sinclair said...

It sounds just wonderful (and relaxing), even with all the restrictions. We split entrées too, so we can have dessert! :) Oh that gecko is so cute!

Natalie Aguirre said...

It's important to rest and spend time alone with our partners. Glad your husband and you got to enjoy Hawaii together. I think I told you that I'm glad to shout out about your new book in my Follower News. Email me if you're interested.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

It's hard to rest at home which is why getting away is best. Sounds like you had a great time despite the limitations.

Annalisa Crawford said...

I'm so bad at taking a break from my writing. Day trips and weekends away are easy, but if it's longer than that I really have to force myself not to think about the work I'll return home to. I always have a notebook in my bag, so if I'm waiting for food, I might doodle a few sentences surreptitiously.

It sounds like you had a great time. Beautiful pictures.

Tyrean Martinson said...

HR - it was, even with restrictions! And yes, the gecko was our lunch buddy one day and seemed content to just stare at us a bit.

Natalie - yes, it is. And Thanks! I'll email you this week.

Alex - I agree. When we are home, we have a hard time ignoring our "projects."

Annalisa - I usually take my journal with me everywhere, but on vacations I focus on "fun" writing or journaling for wellness, and not for any current WIP. I love to write and it can be restful, but not if I'm feeling a lurking deadline.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Patricia - Those are both awesome reasons to visit Hawaii! I went when I was 5, then when I was 40, and now this year (50), so it will be a while before we go again.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I saw some of your photos! How wonderful. I'm glad you went already since they are pretty much in lockdown again. So thankful our governor has opted not to go that route again.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Diane - yes, I know. They were preparing for lockdown while we were there, and it was kind of sad. They rely on tourism for much of their economy and tourism hasn't been steady on Big Island since 2018 (the year the volcano had a lava flow again). It's a tough road for every community.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

What a great vacation. I love the idea of doing more in real life. My husband and I are now empty nesters and we're finding we still enjoy each other's company. I think adding some hiking trails to our list would be a great way to recharge on a budget.

M.J. Fifield said...

So glad you were able to get away for your anniversary and get some rest out of it. I am absolutely terrible at taking time off. Even back when we did travel places, I still couldn't often turn off the writer part of my brain.

Gorgeous photos. I've never been to Hawaii, but my significant other hopes to one day make it there.

Tyrean Martinson said...

MJ - It took us two days to really wind down, so I get how tough it can be.
And thank you! It's worth a trip, if you can find a good deal.