What happens when our physical vacation has ended and we find ourselves back in our "real" world? For me it is the gradual onset of the realization that there is still much pain in my body. What causes this? How can this be healed? What is the true source of all of this pain?
A longer vacation would be nice, but we have to return to reality some time, don't we? We have a life here, responsibilities, children who need to go to school, bills that have to be paid, jobs and chores that must be done. We can't just pack up and take a permanent vacation from the "real" world.
We've been programmed and trained to feel guilty even considering such thoughts. We can't just sell all our stuff and travel like gypsies to lands that help us all to feel better physically and mentally, besides, eventually that would begin to weigh on most of us and we'd long for a spot to call home.
What things could we do in our every day life to help lighten us up, to help us to feel more like we are on vacation? What things are we hanging onto in our "real" world that weigh us down and cause us pain?
I can think of a few differences that I see as I sit here and ponder this all. When we are on vacation we normally try to take only what we really need. We don't want to haul a bunch of useless stuff around and have to worry about it. We pack what we feel is most essential and that is what we live with day to day. Think of our homes and all of the stuff we have to take care of, all of the stuff we could really live with out and the stuff we never use. How much stuff do we just dust around or have crammed away in cupboards or boxes? How many outfits of clothing are really necessary? How much food do we really have to have stocked in our pantry?
Also there are a lot of things that we worry about at home that when we are away we realize we have no real control over and can't really do anything about, so we put them aside for awhile. There is really nothing we can do and we don't want to ruin our vacation with needless worrying, so we put them out of our mind. What's the point in worrying over things we can't change or have no control over? How many things in our normal daily life are like this? How many things are we worrying over and hanging on to day in and day out that really we can do nothing about and worrying about them is only making us sick and adding negative energy to the situation? Are we worrying ourselves sick when we are at home?
If we are with our family on vacation we are sort of forced to spend actual time together, as a family, talking with each other, considering each others wants and needs, perhaps even actually communicating in a way we normally would not do at home. We discover in a hurry that we have to learn to get along or our whole trip could be ruined. When we are home my husband is off working, that is his main concern, my boys are off with their friends, doing homework or in the shop or with their dad and I am filling my days with cleaning, taking care of my mom or figuring out what we are going to eat. We all live together, but almost seem to have separate lives. Even when we are in the same room together, we aren't really focused on connecting with each other like we do when we are on vacation.
For me the nice weather helps so much because the cold makes my muscles contract and my body aches, but I think what really helps me to feel better is being able to be outside. To be near the earth, to feel the sun on my body and breathe in the fresh air. I firmly believe we need to be able to connect with the earth daily on some level and that is difficult to do when the cold makes you hurt and you stay inside, bundled up for months on end. receiving little to no sunshine. I try to be outside in the winter, but it really is just painful for me most of the time.
I think another thing is just plain old appreciation and gratitude. For me a vacation is a treasured thing. I understand how fortunate I am to be able to travel, to pack up some stuff and go experience a new place. Each day I am grateful and thankful for where I am and I appreciate how blessed I am to be having the experience. Each and every day, hour and minute is a blessing, a chance to make a special memory whether it be "good' or "bad" it's something we will cherish through out our life time. Even the horrible gone wrong type of experiences have held great lessons for me, such as home is not such a bad place to be and we are all very lucky to be alive.
Being away from the ones we love can also be a blessing because it helps us to let go of the things that bother us about each other and helps us to remember and appreciate all of the good things we love about each other. Absence really does seem to make the heart grow fonder. There's nothing like being without someone to open up our eyes to how much we count on having them in our lives, even if they drive us nuts! We so often take those around us for granted, it's good to get away so that we can find a new appreciation for what we have in each other.
Perhaps we can look at what helps us to feel so much better while we are a way from home and we can incorporate some changes in our daily life that help us to cope better with our reality.
Maybe we can reduce some of the stuff we feel we have to have in our lives. Perhaps we can let go of some of the things we needlessly worry about, maybe it's time to reexamine all of the stuff we fill our homes with and think we have to have to be happy, we can make more of a conscious effort to really connect with those around us and appreciate them and we can be grateful and count our blessings each and every day.
Maybe if we can find a way to connect every day with our inner self we will see that all of the outer stuff really isn't that important and we can relax, find more joy in our world and heal some of the pain our bodies experience.
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