I do go on more vacations than most, I get that. I am blessed, and I get that too. But as I sit here at 7:41am, the early riser of the bunch, I look out and wonder why we can't feel this "vacation calm" feeling at home. Why we have to go thousands of miles away and spend a decent amount of cash to get to a place where we turn off our cell phones, only check facebook once or twice a day, grab a book, sit with friends, bask in the sun, laugh, snort, and build relationships and memories with one another.
For me it's all about the relationships formed through new experiences...but that doesn't mean I have to go to a tropical island to do that. The weather is just as nice in Buffalo, NY as it is here in St. Lucia. There are more people to relate with in Buffalo than St. Lucia. There is much safer driving in Buffalo than St. Lucia. I'm here because specific people are with me here.
I'd be just as happy at a local lake, or chilling pool side, or camping, or just sitting outside marveling at the wonders of God through a rain storm, then a rainbow with any one of you reading this.
It's not always about where I am, but who I'm with. To build those relationships, to share my life and experiences with others. To do something that makes me just a little bit vulnerable and stretches my faith, to let others see that I'm far from perfect and that I am human.
Granted, I don't have a lot of responsibilities right now: no husband, no kids, no one to support but myself...it's not a choice of mine, it's God's plan for me RIGHT NOW. You bet I'm going to take it for what it's worth, take advantages of the opportunities that arise whether that keeps me in the country or takes me out of it.
So here's my challenge to you...make your own "vacation". Stop and smell the roses, marvel at a rainbow, or sit by a lake for awhile. Turn off the busyness of your life and just take it in, and share it with someone today.
