Vacation Time

Just recently we had an out-of-town visitor stay with us for several days.  She was "on vacation" and, as the days filled, I was struck by how different our concepts of being on vacation were.  At first I thought it was tied to what we, as individuals, were trying to achieve or how we recharged, but it is so much more than that. 

I could see that for many people, our visitor included, what she gets from vacations is being lifted out of the everyday.  She gets to meet new people, see new sights, go off the diet and exercise routine, have new experiences and adventures.  For people who have a pretty solid direction and pattern in their lives, I can see how the dynamics work.  Most people in our society have set work hours and look forward to their "time off" to enjoy life.  If you have lived in the same place, do the same things, and have had the same job for a long time, then vacations are a chance for change, excitement, growth opportunities, and fun.  Holidays mean a break from the routine, a clear cut change.

I don't have the same frame of reference for time off because my routine is different than most people's.  I believe it started when I was a child and over time became part of my path.  As an adult I have continued to cement my way of weaving the new and routine into my daily life. 

I did not have family vacations as a child and I had to learn to look for small spaces of peace, joy, and beauty in my everyday life.  I took those moments alone and in snatches.  I had to integrate that in to my days in order to remain sane.  And it was the same with holidays.  They weren't especially special in my home.  Our holidays never looked like other families holidays, so I adapted my concept.  I developed my own sense of celebration and what was special and I made sure they are things I can have in my life all the time. 

I learned the equivalent of taking catnaps as my vacation.  I don't have set hours and my work ebbs and flows day by day.  I sometimes don't even realize when a holiday is approaching.  I've moved 30 plus times, different homes, different cities, different states.  I am constantly reading and learning new things.  I've had many different jobs and kinds of jobs from grand-opening girl to teacher to strategic planner.  I get to live every day with opportunities for growth, change, meeting new people, and having new experiences.  I have learned to have my structure and my routine within that framework.  It is simply another life choice.  Our visitor chooses to save up to have these experiences and I choose to live every day with tiny moments of vacation tucked into the day.

And it is not just vacation days or holidays – I live at choice every day.  It helps me to see my whole life this way.  Some people have special days and I have just days.  That is not to diminish what I have or what she has.  I am glad that the world is filled with people who get to celebrate holidays and have special deals on their birthdays or take vacations.  I am glad that there is a rhythm to live by for each of us.  I am also grateful that I know, for me, every day I have the opportunity to do something special, to celebrate, to choose beauty, joy, and love.   I can take some "time off" every day.  I can vacation my way and celebrate it as the choice it is.