A Day Away

Sometimes, the best gift you can give yourself is one day. Not a vacation. Not a full reset. Just a single day where you can step back, breathe, and remember who you are outside the to-do lists.

Today, a Friday, my company held its annual picnic—an event where all three offices come together, catch up, and enjoy some fresh air. It was a paid day off, meant to be relaxing.

I’ve written before about burnout and how I’m stretched too thin. Taking today off will make next week a little more stressful. But that’s not a today problem.

Years ago, I set a rule: I don’t work weekends unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t answer emails, phone calls, or Teams messages outside of office hours either. I have my work email and Teams on my phone, and my personal number is on my business cards and email signature. I’ll check messages to make sure nothing urgent is waiting—but I don’t respond unless it truly can’t wait until my next working day.

When I really disconnect, I put up an away message saying I won’t have email access, and if it’s urgent, they can call the main line or a shared inbox. If the office is closed, I’ll note that it’s closed but that they can call my cell. I still let it go to voicemail first to see if it’s truly urgent.

It’s about boundaries. My clients respect that, and it helps me protect my non-working hours.

Today, I decided to really embrace the day. No kids. No chores. No client calls or emails. Just me. It won’t cure burnout, but it’s a small reset—a way to gather perspective before heading back into the chaos.

The picnic was held at a state park about 85 minutes from my house. Normally, I hate long drives. But today, I cranked the music up and let myself drift back to my teen years, when worries felt smaller—just loud music and open road.

At the park, I caught up with coworkers I don’t see often, enjoyed warm-but-not-too-warm weather, and had great food. I even grabbed cookies to bring home to my kids—because even when I’m away, they’re never far from my thoughts.

Things with my husband have been rocky lately. Our last argument was bad enough that I felt like we were back in the same place we were last year—when I told him it was therapy or divorce. Somehow, though, this time feels different. We’re working through it. I can see us building tools to fix what we’ve broken. That gave me a surprising sense of peace today—knowing he had it handled, that he could take care of the kids and shoulder some of the mental load so I could truly relax.

When I left the park, I texted to see if he’d taken the kids out and stopped at the store, just so I’d know whether I needed to grab the groceries I’d ordered. But as I drove, unease started creeping in. I hadn’t heard from him all day. My mind started spinning—until Siri read his text through my car speakers. He was just busy. That one message was enough to settle me.

When I got home, the house was messy but the kids were happy. He came outside, carried in the groceries, and put them away while I made dinner. Then he cleaned up after.

It wasn’t a perfect day. But it was a day where I could just be—where I could push the overwhelm aside, knowing it’ll still be there tomorrow, but I’ll face it with a little more ease.

Sometimes, all we need is a day away to remind us of what matters and to give us the perspective to keep going.