When you hear the word retirement you probably think “non-stop
vacation.” Nothing could be further from the truth; stress and anxiety follow
you everywhere. Seniors need vacations too. Whether you are working from home, embarking
on a fitness program, volunteering, helping with family, or going back to
school, you end up being busier than ever.
Everyone needs a vacation. I’m not talking about a working vacation or
even a “see the world” vacation, but a ‘real
vacation’. A traditional vacation
leaves you feeling that you need to go back to work to rest-up; a real
vacation leaves you wanting to go back to work because you feel good about
yourself.
People don’t like to admit that they did nothing
on their vacations because it doesn’t sound cool. If the idea of planning a “do nothing at all”
vacation makes you uncomfortable you can call it a retreat. Retreats are very
popular, and you can create your own retreat anywhere.
I’ve been on a lot of
vacations but only one or two of them have come close to being the real
deal. Maybe you have to be older to appreciate
what a vacation should be. This year the
setting was perfect. We rented a house in a small village on the beach. It was so quiet that we could have heard a
pin drop and the sidewalks were rolled up by 6 p.m. At first I complained about the lack of
entertainment and the difficulty finding a good restaurant, but in retrospect
it was probably a good thing. We had to entertain ourselves.
We slept late, took the dogs
for long walks in the forests and watched hummingbirds work the trees in the
backyard. We ate most of our meals out
(our goal being to try all of the “award winning” clam chowders) so no cooking.
I had time to read books, work on my writing, and taking long naps. It felt
good. I actually had what I would like
to think of as an “ah ha moment” when I realized that this might have been one
of the best vacations ever.
Nothing refreshes like a change of scenery and no work. A “do
nothing” vacation requires planning and doesn’t have anything to do with travel
brochures, but you do have to get away from it all. This might mean leaving your watch at home or
cutting all of your electronic ties. It
not only means not taking your work with you, but not letting yourself get
stuck being the chief cook and bottle washer. Take a real vacation; rest your body and renew your spirit. Please write and share your favorite "real vacations."
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