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OpinionSUNDAY NIGHT - The importance of taking a vacationSunday Night by MaryHelen Swanson, editor I watched the sun set and the moon rise tonight from the same location. A hot, muggy day turned into a pleasant evening as a cool breeze floated over the water, evaporating the perspiration on my neck and forehead. There I sat in a grey aluminum boat, nearly vintage it is, with two of my daughters, seeking whatever lies beneath the mottled-green surface of Rush Lake. Mostly, I hoped for a walleye, which in fact I did catch. However, the poor little dear, measuring about six inches long, was promptly returned to the lake with an order to ìgrow up.î We fished and laughed and giggled and kept dropping our lines into a 15í hole where sunfish and perch, good-sized perch, dined on our slippery worms and fat, juicy night crawlers. Occasionally, they munched too hard and ended up in the white five-gallon bucket in the boat, I becoming the recipient of a fish-water bath each time they found themselves trapped in the confined space. It was a beautiful way to end a hectic week and weekend, filled with Midsummer activities, shooting photos and visiting with out-of-town guests. There are some times in our lives when the world slows and life is good, while all around us the skies are falling, the earth is shaking and panic is prevalent in the land. Like when youíre sitting comfortably in a tiny boat with pleasant company and the golden moon appears over your left shoulder making a glowing beam across the lightly rippling water like a spotlight on your very private stage. Itís called a vacation. Webster calls it a ìrespiteî a ìperiod granted for rest and relaxation.î It is important to take a vacation, whether we go far away, climb high mountains, see sights of historical value, bathe in the sun of a tropical island or just get out of town for a day or two in our own beautiful state. Sometimes we canít leave home. It is so wonderful that we are blessed here in East Central Minnesota with our own ìup northî scenery and our beautiful lakes and rivers. We donít have to go far to enjoy a respite from our busy lives. Still, there are other times when we canít get away at all. Thatís the time to stop and take a mini vacation in your mind. Remembering those lazy days at the beach, the golf game with friends, the sights and sounds and tastes and feelings you got from a moment away will help refresh you and restore your sanity. Vacations are important, I hope you get to take one. ©ECM Post Review |