Lately, I’ve been feeling like there’s always one more thing on my list that needs to get done. Friday evening comes and I look forward to getting caught up on the weekend—the emails that I’ve neglected, the blog postings that have been ruminating since reading a newspaper article or having an insight while jogging or driving, or featured articles (like this one) that have yet to emerge before the end of the month. Not to mention business planning I should be doing for the two new businesses I’m starting this year.

It’s enough to drive me crazy. Forget about having a clean house, a weed-free lawn, or having enough foresight to mail a birthday gift on time. The kids are on their own for breakfast and lunch. Dinner gets put on the table only through the grace of my loving husband. Permission slips may or may not get signed. 

Several weeks ago, in the midst of this “never caught up” feeling and business travel, I decided to do something. I took out my fairy cards. When life gets hectic, move into the realm of the imaginary.  It’s so much easier.

For the record, fairy cards can be bought at your local New Age book shop, but you might also run across them in a nice gift shop, especially ones that cater to women. I got my set from a girly friend and I give them out at girly gatherings. If you never expect to get good advice from your spouse or supervisor, you can count on fairy cards giving excellent guidance. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

The stack of cards, which I shuffle and draw from at random, have sayings like, “Financial Flow,” or “Family Harmony,” or “Letting Go.”  This is followed up with a detailed description, with words like, “The fairies want you to consider….” Fairy or no fairy, the card always makes sense for what’s going on in my life. When I turn to the fairy cards, I don’t care if I’m getting advice from a bag lady on the street or a stranger in the check-out line at the grocery store. I just want it to resonate.

So when I consulted the fairies recently, this is what they said: Vacation. How perfect is that? Trouble was, I was traveling for business for the next two weeks.  How was I supposed to take a vacation under those circumstances? 

Lesson Number One: Immerse yourself in another world, if only briefly. Even in the middle of a business trip. My colleague in Minneapolis took me to the Global Marketplace to pick up food for a working lunch. For 30 minutes, I was fascinated by the cornucopia of vendor stalls specializing in Mexican seafood, soul food, Scandinavian pastries, and food staples from the Middle East.  We ate our lunch on a picnic table, with the warmth of a 70-degree day, surrounded by the colors and sights of an emerging Midwestern spring.

Lesson Number Two: Go back in time. While meeting with an attorney, I marveled as I entered the historic Lumber Exchange Building. Built in the late 1800’s, it displayed solidly built Romanesque construction and an elegant entranceway, with scrolled gates. Inside, I was greeted by grand staircase and an ornate marble-floored lobby. The building reminded me of the some of the great architectural gems of downtown Chicago. Later, I found out that it was oldest building outside of New York with 12 or more stories. It was a treat to go back in time, just a few steps from the modern world. 

Lesson Number Three: Treat your taste buds to new sensations. One of my most memorable meals while traveling was a Thai appetizer that combined chopped lemons, hot peppers, shrimp, fresh herbs, a sweet and sour sauce, coconut, all wrapped in lettuce. Another day, I had creamy ice cream made with milk from a local organic dairy and hand-made pasta with a spicy chili sauce. 

Lesson Number Four: Take in some great views. In Minneapolis, I enjoyed the lakes and woods, a departure from the semi-desert landscape of Colorado. The following week, walking across a bridge over the Chicago River, I admired the vibrancy of an urban setting rich with history. The 60’s architecture of Marina Towers was in full view and the Sun-Times and Wrigley buildings, monuments to free press and free trade, lined the river’s edge.

Lesson Number Five emerged when I returned home: Engage in activities with friends and family. I’m so glad I made time for bike riding in Boulder with a friend, shopping with my sister and nieces at a consignment shop, and playing board games with my son, his friend, and my husband. I could have let my inner taskmaster overrule, chastising me for an indulgence that had no obvious outcome other than to bring joy and laughter into the world.

The fairies were right. A vacation is exactly what I needed. It was easier to create than I thought. Weeks later, my spirit is renewed. The world went on without me running alongside every milestone like a beleaguered marathoner.  No one suffered irreparable harm from a delayed email reply.

There’s still a to-do list but the never ending feeling doesn’t have the same hold over me.  I can let go at the end of the day or the beginning of a weekend. However I spend my time, whether laughing with my husband and sons at another episode of the looney British comedy Black Adder on DVD, or taking a long nap, or writing a few blog postings, it’s time well-spent.