“In a few weeks I must go back to the city and take up my work . . . Here in the quiet of the woods I am trying to take stock of all that this year has done for me. It has given me health. I have forgotten about jerking nerves and aching muscles. I sleep all night like a stone; I eat plain food with relish; I walk and row mile after mile; I work rejoicing in my strength and glad to be alive.”

— Laura Lee Davidson, A Winter of Content

The quote above speaks to me about what we should expect from time away from busy lives. It also speaks to me about what I feel after a few hours (better yet, an entire day!) away from the busy-ness of today’s society.

We humans go on ‘vacation’ for many reasons — and I am not sure that the primary reason is now relaxation. We fill even our vacation hours and days with activity – and most of it is not necessarily healthful. We (and please note I am including myself!) eat too much and overschedule ourselves, even when we are on vacation.

When was the last time  you spent a day doing – literally – nothing? You might be daydreaming, staring into space, walking randomly, sitting or lying on the grass, watching the clouds in the sky or listening to birds.

When was the last time you emptied your mind, and let your thoughts enter and exit randomly, without acting on them, or digging deeper, or worrying about what you were not doing at that very moment? When was the last time you slept well?

Vacation — that’s when we should be doing those things. And I need to remember that a vacation can be a month, a week, or just a few hours. Time spent enjoying doing nothing, with the beauty of nature all around.

That’s my plan for the summer! Hours of taking stock, letting my ‘jerking nerves and aching muscles’ relax. I hope you will take some time this summer to reconnect with yourself and with nature.