Oh, The Places You’ll Go

by E. Ayers

The things you will see. Getting away from everyday life is a good thing. We see the same ol’ same ol’ most of our lives even if we managed to move to a different state or within the state. Some folks never leave the place where they were born. Getting away not only allows you to see new things, it’s a chance to experience new foods and a wide variety of things that you wouldn’t if you were home.

A friend’s son and daughter-in-law took a trip because someone said they could use their get-away cabin. They really didn’t know what to expect, but took a few extra days to do some other things since they would be in the area, including visiting a cousin that he hadn’t seen since they were children. First they flew to the city and did all the tourist stuff, then they went to see the cousin, and the last few days, they rented a vehicle and went to the cabin. This was no little cabin in the woods. Apparently, it was beautiful. It sat by the river and they hired a man in the small town to teach them to fly fish. The son had surf fished and fished from a boat but never in a stream The daughter-in-law had never been fishing. Fly-fishing is different. She swears she never had so much fun in her life. Almost everything they caught was prepped and shipped home on ice. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and they took it.

Their taking off for a vacation was no easy feat. He owns his own business and that meant shutting down his company for two weeks. Then there was the cost of the trip. Where they live is warm year round so they needed special clothes for the cooler climate. Air fare, hotels, it all added up very quickly.

But was it worth it? Yes. They both had so much fun that they decided they’d do something similar again. Just being able to completely relax helped them physically and mentally. It put a little zing in their private life, and they reconnected on several levels. Even when they returned home, the feelings of renewal lingered. He went back to work with more energy.

Some folks have elaborate bucket lists of places they want to go or things they want to see. My personal list almost doesn’t exist. I’m happy just getting away and seeing new things – whatever those things happen to be. I like history so museums appeal to me. I love nature so seeing new places and visiting states and national parks also appeal. But I also love doing things that aren’t ordinary, such as visiting a local art walk or some other sort of town fair. There’s a chili cook-off at the local lodge? I know what I’m having for dinner!