I’m a busy man with a well-organized plan
I’m the guy who makes multi-page itineraries and thick travel booklets for family holidays.
I’m the one who gets up early to see ALL the sights and stays out late to make sure we maximize all the minutes of our vacation time.
I love the busy holiday. I get dopamine hits from checking off my list of must-see sights and must-do activities.
Rest is not the benefit of a busy holiday. Variety, new adventure, and change of norm fill out the benefit category nicely, but not rest.
A holiday of rest requires a completely different strategy, one that I tried out recently with great success. For me, a restful holiday requires:
Unhurried Observation
Unplanned Adventure
Unhurried Observation
The moon shines only half of itself this morning. An overlay of wispy clouds does little to camouflage it against a backdrop of brilliant blue. My gaze drifts downward to the tops of tall pine trees. They are slow dancing in the cool morning breeze, their trunks are ram-rod straight. Toothpicks pointed a hundred feet skyward until their tops erupt. Angled arms with green needle fingers spreading out in all directions to block out the sky and suck up the sunlight.
In front of the standing army of pine, gnarls upward the arbutus trees. They feel prehistoric to me. Bronze trunks twist skyward, breaking out into large branches, each with its own trajectory heavenward. Green bark peels and curls against the bronze, creating a pattern that reminds me of an anaconda. The green leaves fan out in all directions, broad and waxy in appearance. Somehow, I can see a brontosaurus nibbling on them.
My imagination is snapped back to reality. It sounds as though something big is crashing through the undergrowth. Is it a deer? A bear? Nope. It’s a tiny little bird at the base of the nearest arbutus tree. He is rummaging terrifically through the underbrush; he’s on a minacal quest for grubs. This black, white, and grey handful of feathers has no decorum, no sense of order or discretion. He’s a miniature tornado. Twigs, earth, and dead fall fly in all directions.
My unhurried observation of life as it passes me by at its own pace is the restful battery charge that I need.
Unplanned Adventure
This is admittedly very hard for me to do, but I’m so glad I did. I made no plans. The destination was Gabriola Island, and that was it. The planner side of me got a four-day holiday! Mistin and I jumped on our bikes and rode off to see what the days on this little island would bring us. We simply meandered around the island. No game plan, no firm destination, no meal plan, no to-do list, just the two of us pedalling away, with the wind in our hair, figuring out the day moment by moment.
If you want to experience rest, I highly recommend a break that emphasizes unhurried observation and unplanned adventure.
Below is a glimpse of Gabriola. Enjoy!