Sometimes, you just need a break...

So,
This past weekend, one of childhood friends and college room mate nonchalantly mentioned that I should come to visit her in Atlanta. We're both in graduate school and are working hard to establish ourselves. I hadn't been to Atlanta in months... and classes are starting this week for me, so I decided that perhaps, this was a better time than any to take a road trip. Without much thought (which is out of character for me), I rented a car, skipped work and hopped on the road.

The drive alone was relaxing!

When I got there, we cooked, talked, shopped and partied. No work, no men, no school. We were rowdy and raucous. We were indulgent. We slept late and watched TV in our underwear. I loved it so much, I didn't want to leave Sunday.

But because I am a mature, responsible, self-sufficient young woman, I did. I knew real life would resume Monday morning for me. I had things to take care of for school before my class on Tuesday and would need to cook for a potluck at work Monday. I would need time to put away my travel bag and wash clothes. The real word intruded upon my get-away. I kinda' sorta' didn't mind, though. Because I had such a fabulous time, having to tuck away my rowdy weekend for a later memory didn't seem so bad. After all, I hadn't been forced to run errands all weekend or take my work home with me. I had a reprieve from life, so I could carry on as needed.

I am still young so a lot of this self-indulgent behavior (however infrequent it may be) seems natural to me. I work full time and attend school. I hardly ever miss work. I am unmarried without children. So I reward myself occasionally. It makes life sweeter. It helps me to appreciate the person that I am and curious about who I will become. If I can acknowledge my own accomplishments and give myself a deserved break when needed, that means I don't have to depend on anyone else to acknowledge me, right? Perhaps women would be happier if we took this approach to everything. I know it doesn't always happen like this. Life becomes unbalanced, things tend to take precedence over our own desires. But I love to see women friends out shopping, eating or talking at coffee shops, looking happy and stress free and light. I love to see them laughing, loudly and without apology. I love to see them indulging themselves because they know they deserve it. I love to see women taking care of themselves and relinquishing to a much needed break and just having a good time, enjoying life. Because honestly, as much as we see the opposite, it is refreshing to know that we are so resilient.

Now back to business. I will work (probably with overtime) this week and start classes on Tuesday. I will get back to arranging bank accounts and saving money. But with this last weekend of laughter and awesomeness and friendship tucked into my memory, I can soldier into the next week a little lighter. Because the truth is, we all need a little break sometimes.