I planned on staying two days in Ocean City with family, but when my brother said, “Why don’t you just stay for the whole week?” something clicked.

Of course, my financial brain started to break down all the numbers: the client meetings and workload and hours and team and as I filtered through an imaginary spreadsheet in my mind, I started to ask myself, Yeah, why don’t I just stay for the whole week?”

There was no reason I couldn’t do it.

Monday and Tuesday were the days I had planned to be there and I was totally OFF. You know when you say you’re off, but then you check emails and make a quick call and pretend you’re off. Well, that was NOT me. I put the out of office message on and I didn’t glance at that inbox. Instead of reading emails, I read TWO books.

I went off the grid and into the grit (of the sand that is). There really is nothing better than the feeling of sand between your toes as ocean breezes hit your face and remind you to breathe deep and slow down.

Wednesday I had client work to complete, but I did it from the deck of the beach house and it was glorious! Looking at budgets and forecasts with the sound of seagulls in the distance makes for one fine day at the office.

I even had time to visit the farmer’s market, grab some Johnson’s popcorn (if you haven’t had this, get someone that frequents Ocean City to grab you a bucket, it’s decadent) and enjoy quality time with my family.

Fittingly, I was meeting with my business coach Thursday of that week and one of her mottos is “What CAN you do?” I know she was proud that I arranged my schedule to fit in the work AND the life. We surely need both, don’t we?!

Friday we went to the zoo in the rain, which was pretty spectacular as it kept the crowds away and I also completed a 16-mile bike ride!

Talk about pushing yourself, and apparently, I pushed myself a little more than expected, considering I was riding around on a flat tire. Geesh! My brother, an avid bike rider, was able to fix it and it didn’t stop us at all. I was able to use a replacement bike in the meantime.

The week at the beach reminded me there are always options. There is always the opportunity to reschedule or reorganize so you get the chance to reinvigorate and relax! And that I did!

If your computer is on the fritz, as mine currently is, use your backup, or grab your tablet or phone to check email. If you get a chance to travel and you fear fitting it in with workload, attempt to make it work before throwing in the towel.

Watching the waves come crashing into the shore during the day, the water edging closer and closer to my deck showed me something. No matter how far we are pushed and pulled or how short or long our shoreline (what we can handle) seems to be, we always go right back to exactly where we are supposed to go when a new day arises.

So do what you can today and do what you can’t do today… tomorrow. If a vacation is on your list and you need someone to keep the boat afloat while you drift away, give PTCFOs a call.