Words of wisdom sometimes come from the most unlikely of places.
What began as a customary phone call to a client turned into a conversation I learned a lot from. But first, a little background: earlier this summer, my husband had quite a health scare. After being hospitalized for four days, he was sent home on lots of meds and a warning to take it easy. Thing is, it’s hard to take it easy when you run your own business. One of the frustrating things about this life-altering situation is that we got no answers as to why it happened. My husband is 38 years old, fit as a fiddle, has no genetic history of his diagnosis and has zero side effects. All tests came back clear, which is great. But still, we wish we had answers.
Take some time to smell the Ponte roses…or watch the ducks
About two weeks after he came home from the hospital, I called one of our clients to re-schedule a service. He knew what had happened and so he kindly asked about how my husband was doing. He went on to tell me that he’d suffered a similar health scare years earlier, right around the time he opened a business of his own. Like my husband, he had no lasting side effects and could only attribute his situation to one thing: stress. We’ve all heard how stress can wreak havoc on the body. Now, I’m no doctor and am not going to say that my husband’s health scare was a result of stress, but it makes sense. At the time, we were three months into our new business, and were extremely busy (and, of course, very happy about that!); our life, our conversations, our activities revolved around the business.
Stepping back from life and work doesn’t have to cost a penny. How about taking some time to take in views like this?
This client went on to tell me how important it is for our bodies, our family life, even our business to step back once a week and do something together that has nothing to do with our work.“Even if you go out for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie,” he said, “the important thing is to get out of the house and not talk about work.” After thinking about what he said, I realized just how easy it is to let work take over your life…and just how much it had taken over ours.
Treating yourself, stepping away from things and giving yourself a break doesn’t have to be extravagant, folks. The occasional weekend getaway to Ponte Vineyard Inn is fantastic, of course, but as for something you could do once per week, Temecula Wine Country has got you covered. Here are some ideas: a glass of wine or cocktail after work at The Cellar Lounge, wine tasting on your day off, weekend breakfast at Bouquet, even a simple and beautiful walk through the vineyards, stopping at the Pond at the Inn to take in the scenery. There’s just one rule: don’t talk about work. Believe me, I know that’s difficult, but I think you may find that if you can do it, you’ll feel a little less weight on those hard-working shoulders by the time you go home. Ponte really does feel worlds away and yet it’s so accessible. Why not make it your weekly place to step back?
Breakfast at Bouquet will totally take your mind off work for a while
–Erica Martinez
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