The OTHER reason to take a vacation

9/21/06 Two months ago I started this post. Most of these words were written in July, but I am finally ready to come back and finish it. We just got back from a two week vacation to visit our families in Utah. I learned something vital on this trip. As we visited with friends and family and even strangers, I realized that vactions serve many purposes. We get to go see a new place, visit with friends and family, make new friends, have new experiences. This vacation for me served different purpose. It helped me remember what is important in life.

It all started as we were making the two day long drive from Oklahoma. I remember vividly the day we stopped at a gas station to fill up the car and take a bathroom break. I visited briefly with the woman running this gas station out in the middle of nowhere and getting a sense of her frustrations with life. As we spoke, I felt like I was listening from outside my body. I was just observing the interaction. I began to understand that life is so much more than what we see and do on a daily basis. My vacation got me away from the daily grind and got me out of a rut and gave me a new perspective.

As I type all of these metaphors I am actually picturing them in my head. Imagine being tied to a stone going around and around grinding wheat. Hence, the "daily grind" and being "in a rut". The deeper the rut goes down in the ground, the shallower your perspective. So, getting out of the rut can definitely change your perspective. While on vacation, I felt like I was "flying" above everyone else, thus giving me a much wider perspective.