Vacation
Who doesn’t love a vacation? The image of my toes in the sand, a cool drink in my hand…ahhh…heaven.
When I was younger my definition of vacation was narrow, including only the traditional meaning of the word–“a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel.” (Merriam-Webster).
As I get older–although I prefer the word “seasoned” rather than older–I have developed a much broader view of the word, which now encompasses the full definition–”
1: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission
Vacation means more than just a break. Taking a break from something has its time and place, but taking a vacation is feeding the soul.
It means spending time reading a book in the sun, even if it’s on my backyard patio, with a glass of lemonade, without a shred of guilt from thinking I should be doing something.
Vacation means going somewhere with no phone service, no television, and no computer.
It means pitching a tent in the woods with nothing but a backpack, the smell of oak trees and bonfire smoke, sounds of rustling leaves, black coffee early in the morning, and the ripples on the waters surface to start the day.
It means a day spent lying in a boat floating in the water for an afternoon, throwing a line in to catch dinner, and even dozing off in the sun.
It means picnics under a big oak tree, eating nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips, stretching out for an afternoon nap afterwards.
What does your ideal vacation look like?
Rhonda Blackhurst 