Give me a Break!

One of life's greatest aspects is Time! We all run against time, lag behind time or crave for time; Just some free time. That little extra 10 minutes of sleep in the morning, those few extra hrs on a weekend, that one extra day of a vacation. In the crazy race that our life is today, we all struggle for some free time once in a while, that will recharge our batteries and remind us of what we really are doing.

So, me being the mere mortal with very same thoughts , wanted some time off- Some complete unhindered, uninterrupted time -For my family, For myself, For sorting out complexities that situations and circumstances have thrown at me. And after months of procrastinating and ruminating the thought, I finally took the step . Taking time off from work or job as we call it. And that's when the opinions and judgements started flowing in.

I was told it was a bold and daring step. I was told I was lucky to have the luxury and feasibility to do it. I was told I was rushing into it. I was told that I was living someone else's dream. I was told to rethink it. I was told I must exactly plan what I should be doing in this break. I was told I was doing the right thing . So on and So forth. And amidst all  this free flowing advice and views, I was so confused. I thought It was my time and my decision -But apparently its not! All my eco system needs to be in sync with it otherwise am not allowed to do it. Did someone say we are a free society!

So after battling all this excessive attention to my personal decision, I finally took the plunge and somehow fought my way to the end of the battlefield (Read Last working Day ). And I came home that night and felt exhausted more than excited or any other emotion for that matter!

So in the days to come, I finally start to experience what I wanted to - The pleasure of time. To sort out long pending tasks, to sort out my head, to travel, to read, to cook, to watch my favourite pending movies and TV shows- To sort out my life which got knotted and twisted somewhere along the way - and finally sometime to breathe!

However, all through this time, I have constantly encountered endless questions, condescending attitudes, curious expressions, gossipy bitching,self righteous judgements, unsought advice and what not ! From almost all sections of people in my life - the ones I know every well to the ones who barely know me! Almost Everyone felt the need to express their view on my break! Again- When did this become everyone's problem? I wonder....

And Corporate India in no exception to this! We are the children of same tree - The eyebrows raised, the suspicions, the judgements.Why is taking a break from work viewed so negatively? Aren't we all entitled to some personal time- isn't it like a basic human right or something ? Never quite understood the cynicism surrounding it.


In the most of the world countries, especially Europe, taking regular breaks from work for travel or otherwise is quite a common practice and is in fact one the reasons why lot of innovation and creativity is born out of those countries.

As I am going through this phase now, I felt it was an appropriate time to pen down these thoughts. As the title suggests, despite being on a break, I feel like telling people "GIVE ME A BREAK"! Ironical, ain't it!

And I walk away, listening to Metallica  sing " And nothing else matters....."
Cheers
Sush