......the vacation lens

Yogis,

Whenever I am on a vacation, especially in a new place, I find I see myself clearer……and not always in the best light. It may be that the different background on which my thoughts and habits are projected make them stand out. Or the fact that with new scenery as my stage, the more familiar role of ‘me’ catches my eye more often. It’s as if there is a vacation lens on life that I am peering through.

Whatever it is, I notice.

Looking through the vacation lens.........

Here is some of what I saw last week. I feel that perhaps I have written about a few of these before, but I don’t plan to look back to check. If they are still catching my gaze, then they must need to flow onto paper yet again. 

1. The first day of a vacation is hard for me.  I am grumpy in transition. Nothing is as I expected it to be. The town has more traffic, the rental house seems darker and beach accesses are hard to find. Two days later I love it all!  Why, oh why do I always have to throw day 1 away?
2. I am a horrible back seat driver. Throw in a steering wheel on the right and driving on the left and my shrieks only become louder. I have a permanent lean toward the right and my hand white knuckles the handle.  Hand signals develop to indicate I believe I am about to be impaled by a branch on my side or that we aren’t slowing down enough to yield to the mayhem of a roundabout. I know I am annoying. I can’t seem to stop myself.
3. I don’t like dinner. Not sure why but it became crystal clear this week. I love morning and my late breakfast. Afternoon arrives. I am reading my book, lying in the sun, taking dips in the water. Relaxed, happy, free. My vision of the perfect day is staying right there until around 4, a late lunch at a beach bar and hanging out back at the house in the evening. I find dinner jarring. Too much food, too formal and an interruption to my bliss. Does anyone else feel like that?
4. If my hair could speak it would be yelling YES!!! after many salt water dips and sun and breeze dryings.  Its as if it comes alive. If I could, I wouldn’t let shampoo touch it the whole week, but not sure everyone else would be as happy with that.
5. The absolute best sip of beer ever is the first sip on the hot beach of a bottled IPA that has been in the cooler all morning. Heaven.
6. I have become a complete wuss when it comes to swimming in the ocean.  Even in the Caribbean. I will drive around until finding that small tucked away cove with perfectly calm, warm, clear, shallow water. I know it is there and once found becomes ‘my beach’.  Not sure where my fear originated but it follows me. The bonus though is these coves tend to be absent of vendors, restaurants and water sports, which therefore leads to an absence of most other humans…...which suits me perfectly.
7. Of course, I overpacked. Again.

See what you notice next time through your vacation lens. Noticing provides a window to change. Some of the above I will tackle and others are perfect exactly as they are.

I have learned to love winter but my soul is still a summer,

SARAH