Every lifestyle has a spreadsheet

If we had been asked five years ago whether we had ever considered a holiday on four wheels, we would without a doubt have said no. At that time, we thought package holidays covered our needs. We were convinced that the sense of freedom and recharging could be handled with a hotel, all-inclusive, and a swimming pool.

The calculation is only as complex as you make it

It turned out to be quite the opposite.Every time we came home, it wasn’t with the feeling of being rested and ready for another work period until the next holiday came. Quite the opposite was true – we needed more vacation.

Perhaps it was, in some ways, rather fortunate that COVID came and forced us to slow down. Because of a lifelong condition affecting one of us, we had to be more cautious when the pandemic hit. We borrowed a summer house in the beautiful surroundings of Bjerregård near Ringkøbing. Over a total of five weeks, we enjoyed the mix of home schooling and working from home.

When you find yourself in a small bubble where daily walks along the coast, routines, and time together are the focus, you can clearly feel the energy recharge and the restoration of inner balance it brings.

When Denmark slowly started to open up again, we all returned to the familiar four walls and the usual everyday life. Before we knew it, we were back in the routines, the scheduled daily life, and the lifestyle we had enjoyed stepping away from.

New summer – new mindset

The feeling from the pandemic period was set up in a kind of accounting sheet. A simple calculation.

What we wanted more of stayed on the plus side, and the things, routines, and needs we no longer wanted went to the minus side.

The numbers showed a negative balance for package holidays and a surplus for road trips. By looking inward and feeling what we really needed – and laying it out visually – the result was easy to see.

Have you ever tried to set up such an account for yourself? Would you be surprised by the outcome?

We always have a choice

But it requires that we dare to make the choice. And without hesitation, we can conclude that it requires us to be aware of what we truly need at our core and what fills us with joy and desire.

We all have different needs as human beings. The most important thing is to be true to yourself in the choice you make.