Flexibility ’26
“Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.” Paul Kagame
As a business owner and mental health professional, I need to be flexible in my work – both in and out of the office space. This also includes the ability to take a break when needed and/or planning for them. My husband and I made the decision in 2020 that life is too short to wait for the “right” time to take a break and make the most of any long weekends that are on the calendar. This allows us the time and space to switch off on a regular basis, rather than waiting for the “major” holiday. It also ensures longevity with our workloads as we have something to look forward to on a regular basis.
Melbourne celebrated Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 3rd November this year and our region also takes the day as a public holiday. This meant that we marked out a few extra days and travelled into South Australia to visit the Coonawarra and Limestone Coast regions.
We hauled the caravan over and parked at Penola for five nights. It was lovely to take a break and visit a region that we had not been to previously. Whilst we stayed inland, we did a day trip to the sea and enjoyed some seafood at the local pub and purchased some to bring home. It is always pleasant being by the ocean, listening and watching the waves come and go.
We choose to eat out at lunch and then have a lovely cheese and meat platter for dinner; this also saved on washing up for us both. Got to love the lazy approach and have a real break from reality.
Whilst we only took three days off work, we managed six days away from our home and normal environment. This is highly prized and we were able to switch off from our busy work lives and just be. Not having to be anywhere at a designated time (well only for a lunch booking or opening hours). Taking the time out to really look and enjoy where we were.
The weather was mostly fine, except the day of torrential rain and this allowed us to sit outside and enjoy the ambience of the park for most of our evening meals.
We travelled back on the Cup Day and picked up a winning bid along the way from a silent auction fundraiser on our last trip. We did need to make a slight detour, but that’s okay. The scenic route is often more fun.
Back at home, unpacked and back to work. The dogs also enjoyed a short break from us and Daisy surprised us both at work today in her new Halloween costume. Looks like everyone enjoyed their time off.