Learning that Vacations are Necessary

Life Lessons: A to Z Challenge


It is not only fun to take vacations, they are necessary to our physical and mental health. It really is true "that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Your brain needs to take a rest to reduce stress and  carelessness. It helps keep you from making poor decisions. It gives you time to think. And to ponder. Don't you love it when you have time to ponder? Sometimes only a few hours vacation can bring you some increase in your brains ability to function better. So take a small vacation when needed.

Big vacations, to me, are the best. And my Richard was great at planning big vacations. Sometimes he would forget to allow time in the plans for just relaxing. But that is why I was around. To remind him. To drag him out by the pool, to sit in a chair, with his feet up and a cold beer in hand and watch us swim.
He wasn't much for getting into the pool. But I loved having him at poolside. I could hang on the side and chat with him. While I basked in the sun he stayed under the umbrella. The sun and Richard never got along. His ginger-coloring prevented that!

When the boys were young we went to the family cabin in Colorado in the summers. This cabin did not have indoor plumbing. No running water. The cook stove was operated by wood. The water came from the streams. And the toilet was out back. Yuck. Not my idea of a vacation. But Richard and the boys loved these trips. So, every other year, we went to Colorado. And the next year we went where mama wanted to go. Now these were the good times. We traveled all over the United States. There were trips to Yellowstone, the Smokey Mountains, Florida, the Grand Canyon. All the touristy places! Those were some of Richard's favorites.

My favorite vacations included the beach

In our later years, after the boys had left home, we became cruisers. At first Richard didn't want to cruise. But once I convinced him then that was the only way to take a vacation. And we went on several. Some were just for 7 days and some were much longer. I could live on a cruise ship. And so could have Richard. Lots of good memories of cruises. When we cruised we usually went with other couples. That is why it was so much fun! We loved the cruises that required dressing for dinner. Tuxes, white dinner jackets, long gowns and jewels. Such an elegant way to dine.

Vacations are important. You have to rest the mind and the body. They can be cheap or they can be expensive. They can be far from home or they can be in the backyard. I am glad that I learned this lesson. And I had the best of teachers....thank you Richard!!