Sunday, June 20, 2010

How I Spent My Summer Vacation







Here I am again on a Sunday night doing the laundry. It is dreadfully hot outside. We are in the middle of an extended heatwave, the hottest weather we have had in three years. Temperatures are hovering in the mid 90's with the heat index over 100 degrees. I go outside as little as possible. My new air conditioning system is getting quite a workout. For the record, I hate summer and it is my least favorite time of the year. In this part of the world it is not only hot in the summer, the humidity is also terrible. The combination of the two suck the life right out of me. I dream of snow...

Earlier in the week I went on a family vacation. It may have been the least enjoyable vacation I have ever taken with my family. It was very hot and tempers sometimes flared between my oldest son and me. We also all lodged together and in the best of times that is too much togetherness for me. The lack of privacy and space, coupled with the heat, did not bring out the best in me. I could not get home fast enough. I found myself thinking that the "idea" of a family vacation is better than the reality of it. It was exhausting and not at all relaxing.

Once I got home I felt like I was trapped inside my home by the heat. Of course, I didn't mind that too much because I would rather be home than anywhere. I love my leisure so I am not terribly thrilled about returning to the work grind tomorrow. Sometimes I think it is sad and pathetic how much most people, including me, live for their week of vacation once or twice a year. Usually this week never lives up to our hopes for it. It is almost never truly restful because we try to cram as much as we can into it. We return to work more tired than when we left it. Even sadder is the fact that only 25% of people in America take a vacation and there are no laws ensuring that workers are even given vacation time. In my opinion, any time off less than two weeks does not do much for you in terms of real rest and rejuvenation. In Europe most people get approximately 4-6 weeks off a year and this time is guaranteed by law. Most Americans who have jobs are overworked and burned out. I do not feel overworked. I have a good job and a pleasant work environment. I am, however, part of the burned out masses.

Today is Father's Day so my youngest brother and I went to the cemetery where my father is buried. We also had some rare one on one time over lunch where we talked of many things.

I read a couple of things this week that made me think. One thought was from Thomas Merton. In his journal entry for June 19th, 1966 Merton writes, "The real desert is this: to face the real limitations of one's own existence and not try to manipulate them or disguise them. Not to embellish them with possibilities other than those which are actually present and real, here and now". Another idea I read was from a book entitled "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It basically had to do with the discipline of writing on a daily basis. This current month is the least productive month I have had since beginning this blog. I'm not sure if I have run out of things to write about or I am just being lazy. Either way I am going to attempt to be more disciplined about writing something even if it means sitting down with an empty head and a blank page.

I am posting a few pictures of happy moments from my family vacation including a few pictures of my favorite fairy princess.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your most wonderful life. I love the transparency and suchness of being! Om Shanti CAZ