I’m back in Osoyoos, BC again, for my annual beach vacation. I’ve been so looking forward to taking a full break from work — no projects to work on and most importantly… no emails! Just time to do whatever the day brings.

I feel like I could probably just post the same pictures every year (but I don’t). For me, the sameness is relaxing. My toughest decision today is when to switch from the mocktails to the cocktails and which book to read next!

I just finished the book on the left called, Group – How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, by Christie Tate. It is a really engaging memoir-style book about the author’s journey from lonely, unconnected, recovering bulimic through to connecting with the therapist and the group and finally to meeting and building a relationship with her now husband. Frankly, the therapy’s unorthodox methods, lack of boundaries, and focus on sex make me question why the therapist doesn’t lose his license. On the other hand, there are undeniably good results for the group members who participate fully. And it definitely makes for a sometimes funny and always interesting read. I now want to order her next book B.F.F. – A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found, which focuses on rebuilding her relationships with female friends.

One thing I’ve been thinking about is why it is so hard for me to start blogging again and make it a habit. I always enjoy it when I start, but it’s the starting that’s hard. I’ve been realizing that after a long day working in my upstairs office, the last thing I want to do is to recreate my work environment by going upstairs and typing on my work computer. And the thing is that the work laptop is 17 inches and super heavy, making it too hard on my sore hip to lug downstairs.

I’ve never actually owned my own laptop, separate from the shared family computer we had years ago or from my current work laptop. A new focus for me is to try to identify what would make it easier for me to build a new habit and to be bold about allowing myself to have what I want (within reason) to make my life better. Luckily, I found a good deal on a small HP that is lightweight and actually designed to fit on a lap! I also picked up a cute lightweight blue laptop bag, so different from my black work travel bag. And so, here I am looking out at the water while writing today’s post with the new laptop on my lap!

The weather here promises to be sunny all week, going up to somewhere around 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit) by midweek. It’s a little windy today, so I was content to sit inside reading (and blogging), but tomorrow I plan to sit on the beach, basking in the sun and swimming in the lake.

Wishing you a belated Happy Canada Day and an early Happy Independence Day or just a great first weekend in July!