Vacation Otherwise Known as Suspending My Regular Duties

Freedom from the day-to-day effort of answering emails, conference calls, last-minute meetings, driving in traffic, and the pressure to perform. I’m taking a breather, a break, a much-needed vacation. In a few hours, I’m heading to La Jolla, California to stay at a friend’s house. She’s a new friend, someone I admire and deeply respect. It’s my first visit to her home, but I’m excited nevertheless.

Staying at home for a vacation is bullshit. It’s really just doing the same stuff you do every day without the distraction of going into the office. The Blackberry still beckons, the laptop awaits your diligent fingers, the laundry still needs to get done, the dishes washed, the bills paid and on it goes. That’s not a rest. That’s a weekend.

I have to get away in order to really relax. Take in a new place, a new adventure. Halt the sameness and allow myself to be. On this trip, I’m going to meditate and practice yoga, eat great meals and walk by the beach. I will be in the company of highly motivated and deeply spiritual people who still know how to laugh and have a good time (in case you think these concepts are mutually exclusive). I’m holding a mirror up to the self I’ve become and she’s not the same girl with a bad attitude that grew up in Cleveland hanging out in the clubs listening to aggressively loud music. The attitude has changed, my musical taste has evolved. Hell, I’ve evolved. Isn’t that the reason we’re alive?

If you think you’re on the planet solely to make a living, raise a baby, and get your oil changed every 3,000 miles, I think you are missing the point. These things are a part of life and through these experiences we may learn about ourselves, but it’s not the only purpose. We are here to grow, to progress, to move forward. That’s why we age. It’s why we change.

I know a few people who resist change every chance they get. On the surface, they might seem like they have it together. They can cook, make people laugh, fix a car, but dig a little deeper and you can see the unhappiness in their eyes. It takes a lot of effort to resist evolution. It’s so much easier to just say yes to where your heart is guiding you and where you want your life to go. Staying stuck listening to that voice in your head that thinks you’re stupid, my ideas are stupid, and judges your every move, is painful. It’s the root of all depression and hopelessness.

You get to choose all day, every day, whether or not you’re on vacation. How do you want to live your life? You can resist or you can open up. I won’t hold it against you, but you might.