Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is take a break from productivity altogether.
It is easy to grow heavy in a world teeming with deadlines, to-do lists, and growing obligations. Modern life places so many different strains on our time—work time, family time, friend time, etc.—that “reboot time” typically gets overlooked and is cast aside in deference to other seemingly more “important” duties. And yet, our well being is contingent upon the condition that we do not forgo this responsibility, a commitment equally (if not perhaps more) important than everything else we juggle on a daily basis:
Take care of yourself, and everything else will follow.
And what better form of therapy than time spent on the water?
Today I had the luxury of sailing with family and friends on Lake Pepin. My Uncle Warren and Aunt Maggie—who lived in Minnesota for years but have since moved to Denver—were in town visiting friends and invited me for a relaxing day sailing the “aquamarine” waters of Southern Minnesota with their friends, Beth and Tim. Notably, Lake Pepin is renowned as the birthplace of waterskiing and is situated alongside Lake City, a charming bastion of small-town America located on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. Beth and Tim have owned a sailboat on Lake Pepin for over nineteen years, and it has quickly become their preferred method of escape and intentional relaxation.
Warren and Tim—both retired pilots—met on the job decades ago and have grown as devoted friends ever since. As pilots, they are both well versed in all things flying[1] and are the types of good-natured, entertaining personalities you want guiding your plane to safety. It is, perhaps, unsurprising, then, that the nautical sailboat would come to take on a not-so-nautical name: Air Break.
I love this name not only for its clever play on words but also for the deeper significance of the message it offers. On an airplane, an “air brake” is a panel conforming the shape of an aircraft that, with hydraulic pressure, can be opened to create drag or heighten the angle of approach during landing. Used in a different context, an “air break” can be used to describe a temporary hiatus from the banal, even draining nature of daily responsibilities—which, in this case, frequently include piloting airplanes—and pursuing other engaging, restorative activities that celebrate everything life has to offer. Thus, “Air Break” (the sailboat) has quickly become a symbol of well-earned relaxation and a celebration of the importance of taking time to forgo the rat race and just simply “be.”
Warren and Tim have been standup comedians cronies for nearly as long as I have been alive, and spending a day on the water listening to their witty banter is nothing if not curiously curative. The two are certainly cut from the same cloth and share an affinity for people and comedic levity. Laugher is always the end goal, and the dynamic duo will do anything in its power to make people smile.
For starters, the pair has long adopted “sailing names” everyone adheres to whenever on the boat. Upon arriving at the marina each individual shirks his or her previous identity and magically transforms into a freer, more relaxed alter ego. Indeed, as soon as they climb aboard Warren instantly becomes “Antonio,” and Tim transforms into “Carlos[2].” Even Maggie and Beth have joined the fun as “Margarita” and “Yolanda,” suspending reality and giving way to their husbands’ whims without question.
While certainly goofy, I admire this tradition and willingly surrendered myself to its whimsy[3] because I inherently acknowledge the empowering intent it embodies: Relax. Live a little. Allow yourself to laugh and be laughed at. Put your worries aside and take an intentional break from the mundane.
Throughout the day the five of us ate, drank, and swapped stories recounting memorable tales from the past. Warren and Tim reveled in sharing stories of friendship—a bond water has only continued to forge over time—and had us all howling with laughter as they cast vivid pictures of their carefree adventures and “romantic sailing dates” that have transpired over the course of their burgeoning “bro-mance.” The experience highlighted the invaluable significance of surrounding yourself with good people, and it afforded me the opportunity to change up my routine by savoring time with loved ones, an experience that can be fleeting if not consciously pursued.
It doesn’t take much more than friends, water, and good conversation to refresh your heart and rekindle your spirit. Sometimes nature’s best medicine is that which we are most reluctant to give ourselves for fear such an “indulgence” will somehow detract from our overall value and productivity. Nothing could be more untrue. Believe in the restorative properties of relaxation and give yourself permission to be free.
Unplug.
Switch things up.
Go offline.
Take an Air Break.
It will make all the difference.
[1] And, by spouse-job-share-osmosis, so are their wives. Notably on the drive home when Warren and Tim repeatedly begged their counterparts to stop at a local steakhouse, Beth decided to end the madness by answering in a language with which they are both familiar. Without skipping a beat she answered: “Nope, this is a non-stop flight, guys.” Instantly their entreaties reached a ceasefire. Just like that—poof!— the inquiries reached their abrupt demise. This, certainly, was not Beth’s first rodeo.
[2] Of the Banderas, Santana variety. Naturally.
[3] As soon as I arrived on the scene I was instantly dubbed “Katarina.” I had no choice. I didn’t choose the identity: It chose me.
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