Elements of a perfect vacation:
- Find a place that looks better in person than as advertised on the website
- Bring along a loyal companion who can sleep the whole 13-hour car ride, and guard the car when you need to make a stop
- Be in a place that grounds you
- Surround yourself with those you love
- Let others do the cooking
- Take in the joy of a toddler experiencing things for the first time, like gentle waves cascading into him or discovering that blueberries grown on bushes can be picked and put directly in your mouth
- Watch your mother meet her great-grandson for the 1st time and form an instant bond
- Have an impromptu gender reveal when your son and daughter-in-law find out they are having a girl in February
- Get together with friends you met 50 years ago at your college orientation, and still remain friends with to this day
- Walk on the soft sandy beaches you have known since you were 3 months old, and where your parents met
- Sleep with your windows open, allowing the sounds of waves gently lapping on the shore to lull you into a deep and needed rest.
- Sit with your daughter and your dog on a dune and take in the beauty of a sunset over the lake
Yeah, that.
On my long ride home, I was reflecting on how incredibly fortunate I am to have had not one but two amazing vacations this year that filled me up on all levels. I was wondering what the connection could be between a trip to a foreign city and a trip to secluded retreat. Yes, they are both places that are special to me. Yes, I was surrounded by beauty, but of very different types. But, what I realized was really the answer was that I was fully present. I was in the moment in both scenarios. I was not worried about what came next. I had not planned every moment and was not anxious about timelines and schedules. I had general ideas about what I would like to do, but I allowed the energy of the moment to dictate the direction we took. I was allowing myself to BE.
Where have I heard that before?
I am grateful for yet another lesson and reminder that when you allow yourself to be – to be present, to be in the moment, to be yourself, to be fully aware – life opens up for you. You are able to experience life with all your emotions. You feel things more deeply. You see subtleties. You hear tones. You taste the sweetness of life.
What a joy and blessing it is to be reminded of this. And what an opportunity it presents to bring the same level of awareness and BEingness into all aspects of life.
Like I always say…..it’s all about the BE.
