On this Good Friday, I’m celebrating Holy Week on the way toward Easter. But I’m also longing for spring break. This is my last work day before vacation. Yah! I’ve only taken off a day here and there since I travelled to visit Garrett at Fort Rucker last fall. I’m ready for a full week away from work. Tim needs a break even more. He has not been off work for a whole week of vacation since last summer. It’s good to have a chunk of time off, not bits and pieces, to decompress. It used to take me 3 full days away from work to relax. It’s better for me now since I’m not so pressured as in the past. I am generally able to let things go in just a day. I also find that it is better for me to go away rather than vacation at home. Sometimes home projects feel like work and it’s difficult to overlook them and relax when you see them before you.
To get away and create each day anew without any time pressure is wonderful. We all need this on a regular basis to free our souls. It’s like taking off the heavy coat of winter to be released from the heaviness of responsibility for a little while. Not that we are totally irresponsible for ourselves and others in our care. But we are free to just “be.” I love to wake up and say, “What am I going to do today?” without someone else already having a schedule made for me. I can try new things even just for a few days. I can sit and read a book if I want or indulge in a long conversation. I can lay in bed with my best friend as long as we want (unless of course, we have kids with us on vacation).
Relax…breathe…take in creation. Much of my ideal vacation is spent outdoors in fresh air. After this long winter, this will be a God-send to be in the mountains again. West Virginia is “almost heaven,” as John Denver sang so long ago. I agree. It is breathtakingly beautiful. But it’s also devastatingly poor in many areas. The place we go to ride our dirt bikes is in coal country and there is a high rate of unemployment. But while we vacation and have fun, we will spend money on food, fuel, housing, and crafts. We each pay a fee to ride on the Hatfield-McCoy trails. We help the local economy and in turn, this allows the local people to have a better existence. In this way, I share my wealth by spending it. It’s another way of giving-buying from local businesses, not the big chain stores. If we all were intentional in doing this, there would be less need for welfare and unemployment. The only genuine way that poverty is overcome is when we help others help themselves.
This doesn’t just apply to when we travel, but should be the way we spend at home. I admit that since I work in the city, I often shop in the city. But Tim and I have been intentionally trying to spend more in our local area of Sheridan. We buy some of our groceries at the IGA in town and stop by the hardware store for some of our project supplies. We have great restaurants in town that we frequent. We often see people we know from our church or their kids working in these establishments. We help Sheridan have a better economy and the people have a better life by spending locally.
Well, I must stop dreaming and get ready for the day. Today will be a good day at work but tomorrow promises to offer much-needed relaxation and a little bit of heaven. I’m ready!
