"look at Nevada" (even when in Florida)

I’m always curious if anyone else has the same problem that I do: how to slow down and do nothing.

After college, I went on a road trip with my mom from California to Iowa. (Actually, we went as far as Galena, Illinois.) I was so amped up from studying for so many years, that it took me until the middle of Nevada to calm down and realize that I didn’t need to study for class. I didn’t need to work on the next thing. The only thing I had to do in that moment was look at Nevada. Notice the desert, the long, straight interstate, the lack of vegetation.

In my head, I often refer to that mental vacation space—when I don’t have to do anything—as time to look at Nevada.

I’m currently in Florida. Since I arrived when it was dark, my view of this state—my first time here—was that it is dark, flat, and wet. I’m sure it’s nice in the sunshine, but I’ve barely seen any of it during the day—just the hotel that I’m at and its grounds.

Still, there are times on this trip when the only thing I have to do is, well, “look at Nevada.”

And it’s taken me a few days to figure that out. I still feel like I have to justify doing nothing. After all, I could be working furiously on the next book. (I did do a pretty good outline on the plane, and I’ve worked on the blurb.) Or I could be IDK trying to cram something in the day between signing sessions.

But honestly, I just want to “look at Nevada.” (Which has translated into binge watching Druck.)

So be it.

I’m writing this post to tell myself that I don’t have to justify doing nothing sometimes. I know that it’s good to have fallow time. I don’t have much of it at home.

I know that vacations are important.

It just takes me a bit to get to that vacation state where it’s okay to enjoy the scenery, wherever I am.

P.S. More fun with Druck.