I took a vacation day yesterday. Not a big deal, but also not something I do just for the sake of doing it very often. Days off usually have a purpose, a goal, some reason for taking them, but I wanted a day to catch up on a million little things and nothing at all.

After having breakfast with Ann Handley, I noticed a little nature preserve on the road home and decided to go and check it out. It was there that I found this bench and ended up just sitting on it and thinking about a million different things while I listened to the birds and wind all around me.

When I got home, instead of attacking the task list I took Linchpin by Seth Godin off my shelf and sat outside on the deck reading it. Hours passed, the music kept playing and I finished the book.

I may not have completed any of the things I set out to do, but what I did do was find inspiration and motivation in the quiet moments of the day. The book may be longer then it needs to be and the bench not as comfortable as it could have been, but both gave me rewards that I needed on my day off.

When was the last time you took a day for yourself? Did you spend it chasing your tail or chasing the future?