What I did on my summer vacation….
October 24, 2011
By Caryn Blanton
“What I did on my summer vacation…” Well, it wasn’t really a “summer vacation” – it was a sabbatical. A what? A sabbatical. “Originally from the Greek sabbatikós. Noun: Any extended period of leave from one’s customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.” Yikes! Rest? New skills? Training? This definition definitely appeals to my high-achiever instincts and my compulsive need to “do”. But then there’s that part about rest. I can do this. 7 weeks with no schedule, no plan – I’ll wing it. I will make a holy space in my life. God will speak to me in big ways. It will be great! Hmmmm…
I began preparation for my sabbatical in April to make sure that I could actually walk away from work with a clear mind. I wanted to enjoy 7 weeks without a schedule or a plan. I didn’t want to be thinking about work or what I was going to have to jump into as soon as I returned. I would be free like a bird! By the time I left, I was able to put everything in order and walk away feeling good. Off to a great start, right? Again, hmmmm…
Here’s how this period of “rest, new skills and training” started out for me: Friday, Saturday and Sunday I packed up my house on Balboa Island and prepared to move. Monday, I finished my degree at Vanguard University after four years of study. Tuesday I packed suitcases for a wedding and a honeymoon. Wednesday, we left for Hawaii. Thursday we tracked down a wedding license. Friday we got married. Phew! My two teenage boys were with us for the first part but then we put them on a plane and had a week by ourselves to honeymoon. On our way home we picked up an 8 week old puppy…we didn’t think it would be that much more work. Yet again, hmmmm…
Upon our return we moved into our new house and unpacked boxes for a week. I started to feel like rest was right around the corner! Oh, wait…my relatives were all coming in for the reception party I was planning for 140 people. I was excited but not rested…something was blocking my restful sabbatical! Fun. Family. Puppies. Blessings. I started to think that I was not doing it right. I’m all about doing things right. I was failing. I was NOT a free bird – I was lost and floundering! This realization was not helping put me in a restful place either! I needed help!
My new husband, Jeff sat me down for a meeting. Seriously…paper, pencils, lists – the whole nine yards. It worked. We figured out what I needed to feel rested. We made a plan. We made a schedule. Who knew that I actually needed a plan to rest? Suddenly, with my new sabbatical schedule I began to fit in all the things I had dreamed about before I started. I read books. I looked at art and nature. I listened to music. I watched movies. I went to the beach. I “lunched” with friends. I cooked. I did yoga. I napped. I also waited for God to speak to me in a big way. But the more I tried to hear from Him, the harder it was to hear…I was running out of time and started to panic.
Then it hit me. I needed to stop trying. God was already there. God was in ALL of it – from the beginning to the end. He was there at the wedding, the honeymoon, the move, the party, the art and music and cooking. He was there as I read and napped and watched movies. Now THAT is big! God showed me once again that He reveals Himself wherever and however we need to experience Him. He is in our doing and in our resting. There is not one place where He is not! It took me about 5 weeks into it to figure it out, but I did figure it out. I’m not someone who can wing it. I do better with a plan. This is important. I need to hold on to this truth until my next sabbatical in 2018. In the end, I didn’t fail! I rested. I acquired new skills. I trained. And through it all – God did speak to me. He was there…as He always is – in a big way!
