Vacations have become very different than they used to be. When I was young, they happened during the summer when we were out of school, and naturally we had to escape the City. In our family’s case, this meant camping in one of the state’s regional parks, excellently situated for the general population. No glamorous resorts or cruises for us! Today many still get out of town, but more often vacations have become more of a change of pace than a destination. It is perhaps more important these days to simply “stand down” for a while rather than tear off to some exotic location. And perhaps funds for some aren’t always so plentiful.
No intruder's upon one's peace...
I, for one, think that we should be taking vacations regularly, not just seasonally but every day if possible, in the form of micro vacations, which can involve taking out an hour or two to slow down and perhaps think quietly. At one time, as strange as this may seem, when my children were in school, I used to sit quietly in the garden-like setting of a local cemetery. The graves were well inside the cemetery grounds, but the peripheral garden was quiet, shady, well kept and close by…with no intruders upon one’s peace!
Breakfast version of "Cheers"....
Today many of my micro vacations are spent at a neighborhood restaurant that is a kind of breakfast version of “Cheers!” Sometimes inside it is quiet, sometimes pretty noisy…but everybody knows my name. I no longer need slow quiet as much as I need the unspoken welcome every time I come through the door, and it is always present. From the boss to the waiters to the cleaners, they know my circumstances, and they always inquire about family well being. It is a change of pace that definitely feeds the spirit… the epitome’ of a true micro vacation.
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