Playing Hooky

As a good two shoes growing up I wasn't one to skip school. Same goes for work.

As an adult with no boss but myself I find it much easier to play hooky. Frankly, I find it necessary some times. Being self employed means that you almost never take real time off. It isn't some kind of martyr syndrome, just the reality that if you aren't working, the work isn't getting done. If the work isn't getting done, you aren't getting paid.

Okay, that applies to most people!

Necessarily, then, I've learned the fine art of playing hooky. For me, that means I need to get in the car and leave town. Or, at least, drive across town. The change of scenery is generally necessary. That change could mean hiding in your sewing room or garden too.

Ultimately, it's about literally and figuratively stepping away from obligations and responsibilities to do something fun. Getting lost in a quilt just for the sake of quilt making. Taking the kids camping or hiking. Visiting the latest ice cream spot. Exploring a different spot in the river with the dog. Curling up with a book in a park. 

That moment you decide to play hooky is exhilarating, a bit naughty still. In the moment of your stepping away the real world slips behind you. Like a teenager not caring about the consequences of skipping school at the moment they are skipping school, you are focused on the present, on the fun. It's a mental break. And afterwards? The rewards carry forward. Remember, no one is going to ground you!