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When you're in the retail trenches of the optical
industry, a week can seem like a month, a month like a year,
(and a year – well fuggedaboutit!). The stress of just
keeping up with all the changes - from new lens designs, to
the current fashions in color and frame styles, and dealing
with customers who know the cost of everything (and the
value of nothing) can put you right over the edge.
We need vacations!!! Got to relax!
Relaxation can take many forms, Some people like golf
("A good walk spoiled" said one philosopher),
others trek to a casino to try their luck, still others
swear by resorts like Disney et al, or cruise ships in their
great variety. Some seek near violent activity like rock
climbing, or riding mountain bikes down cliffs, and of
course, base-jumping for the adrenaline junkies among us.
The more passive forms of relaxation including Yoga, Ti
Chi, and other eastern arts are also terrific - but all
require some experience and a good instructor.
Still, others of us like to do nothing, and have raised
that skill to a great art. Let me tell you, (speaking as an
expert) if you try to "do nothing" at home you're
in trouble. It is axiomatic that if you stay in residence,
the appliances will rebel. The lawn will need your
attention, the computer will crash, the kids will call you
for emergency babysitting duties, your TV will earn its
title of "the great wasteland" - 500 channels and
nothing on as your face becomes pastier and your stomach
plumper by the day.
You've got to get away! Where is up to you. Preferably a
spot where solitude is encouraged and abetted, cruise ships
are too regimented, and probably not a resort where you feel
guilty if you don't avail yourself of the creature comforts
and recreational activities offered – because "You're
paying for them!" So, where then?
Leave your Blackberry at home, along with your laptop;
you'll be amazed at how the world continues without your
direct input.
A wonderful (and isolated) cabin in the woods, a hut in
the solitude of the mountains, a little shack by the roar of
the ocean's surf, all take on a luster undimmed by today's
more advanced commercial civilization. Think Superman's
Fortress of Solitude! Add a stack of good books, easy to
prepare food, (not a Ruby Tuesday or Chili's in sight)
binoculars and a good birder's guide, or if you are of an
artistic bent – your paints, charcoal, pastels, or your
notes for the great novel you'd like to write are all the
companions you need. (Plus your significant other to share
the wonderful solitude with!)
So there you are, my guide to total relaxation. Oh yeah,
bring a radio to keep up with the slumping Red Sox. (Also,
almost forgot – a cell phone so we can talk to the kids,
the little one has strep!) Nothing else however. Oh except,
maybe a golf club or two so the swing doesn't get rusty, but
that's it! Gee, if the cabin has electricity – a microwave
might also be a good idea – you don't want to cook all
your meals over an open fire, do you? |
