Dirty Knees and Pigtails

I’ve seen photos of myself as a child. I’m always the little girl with dirty knees, pigtails and chocolate ice cream smeared on her face.  Since those photos were taken every cell in my body has changed, I am no longer that person.  However, last week that little girl and I were re-introduced.

It has been a while since my boss told me to take a vacation.  Given that I run my own business, this is completely my own fault, since I happen to be the boss! I finally decided that I needed a vacation, but not necessarily of the traditional sort. On this personal holiday I didn’t need to actually go anywhere, this was more of a psychological vacation.  A new friend visiting the area prompted me to finally check myself out. For a solid week, I gave the serious, disciplined side of my personality a break. I let go not only of my work responsibilities, but also of my entire routine—my e-mails, my carefully prepared nutritional meals, my planned exercise schedule, all of it.  I decided to just go with the flow and listen to my whims. As a person who typically likes to be in control, I thought that this would be a tremendous challenge.

Turns out, it wasn’t difficult at all! Particularly when the little girl of my past decided to show herself!  It was when I found myself running backwards on the beach while attempting to fly a kite that I knew that the little girl in me had returned.   As the kite dipped and swooped I remembered what it means to play.

By my new definition, playing means that you are completely absorbed in something that is pure enjoyment. Over the course of a week I set out to truly master the art of playing like a kid. I played in the ocean at every opportunity—I surfed, I kayaked, I swam, I floated and I even tried stand up paddle boarding.

I marveled at the sun glistening off the water and the way each breaking wave is so unique.  I completely lost track of the time and enjoyed the bliss of having no hurries and no worries. I built sand castles with my 3-year-old niece and reveled at the feeling of sand between my toes.  I watched colorful birds playing in the palms and stared upwards at the ever-changing cloud formations. I walked through the jungle under the moon. I lay in the hammock and napped. I ate my favorite foods and spent endless hours with my closest friends and family.

At the end of the week my cheeks hurt from grinning and every cell in my body was glowing with happy energy.  My psychological vacation had been the best vacation I’d ever taken.  Not only that, but I’d fallen in love with the place that I call home all over again. As I work my way back into my routine of self-discipline and entrepreneurship, I think that the little girl with dirty knees and pigtails is going to stick around.

TAMARA JACOBI is the co-owner, hostess, website-designer, bookings manager, and expedition guide for Tailwind Outdoor, a family-owned eco-lodge and adventure tour company in San Pancho, Mexico. She is a lifelong athlete whose accomplishments include completion of 2 marathons, sea kayaking 850 miles down the Baja's Sea of Cortez, mountain biking 2000 miles of the USA's continental divide trail, mountaineering up Pico de Orizaba's 18,700 feet, and more. She is also a passionate trail runner and practicing yogini... {more »}