Fill up your plate with side orders of peace and relaxation

Waking up to this on cool and early summer mornings seems like heaven. Photo by Megan Lee on Unsplash.

I’m going on vacation next week. It’s been a good while since I took time off from work. People keep saying that I should “unplug” and get “disconnected.” They say phrases like you should “get away” and spend time “alone.”

I’ve always been interested in phrases and what people say. How we express ourselves, our way of communication comes from somewhere. Most people are well-intentioned. “I just want the best for you” is another one of those sayings that you hear often.

So, I’m taking them up on the offer. I’m going away. Not too far away, but away from the office and the work schedule. Disconnected from email and a ringing phone. A few days of hiking and staying in a cabin sounds like just what the doctor ordered and the more I think about it, the more I want to be there, in that place of separation.

It must be a statement of our society, our way of life in this part of the world, when we have to find time to be peaceful. We make excuses about how busy we are this week and the next. How we want to go somewhere, take a vacation, visit old friends several states away, but just not right now. We have a lot on our plate and there’s no room for a side order of what we know is the healthiest part of the meal.