Making every day a holiday: it is really possible.
Our holiday, our vacation. The time of year we look forward to the most.
Whether you work out of your home or not, as soon as someone asks you the fateful question “where are you going on vacation?” your face relaxes and a big smile spreads across it. Vacation time is when we take a break from our everyday activities, when we can rest. It is when we can choose what to do, when to do it and who to do it with. Vacation time is freedom.
We take our right to an annual vacation for granted these days. And our employers even pay for it! This was not always the case, though. Our right to vacation time was something that modern man fought very hard to obtain. Back in the 18th century the only people who took a holiday were the members of the European aristocracy. Everybody else worked straight through until a religious holiday came along and then they could have a break. It wasn’t until recently that paid vacations for workers became law. In any case, vacations have a profound bearing on us from an emotional standpoint. We all invest considerable time, money and passion into planning, organizing and enjoying them. Plus, there is a whole industry that revolves around vacation time: travel agencies, hotels, wellness centres, spas, websites that offer just about anything, commerce and eateries. And when we take it online, this world is expanded beyond belief! There are even people who enter the world of vacation to make a living and have a great time doing so: travel blogs, culinary reporting, holiday fashion and a broad variety of entertainment venues.
There is no limit to the options for our vacations these days. It is not just a matter of where to go anymore.
We can choose to take a holiday where we will rest on a marvellous beach and do nothing at all for days on end or we can opt for a culture-packed vacation filled with visits to churches and museums. We could also decide to go the mountains and go hiking on trails or head for some place where we can admire arctic or tropical landscapes. Then there is always the possibility of taking an ethical holiday and helping those who are less fortunate or animals in need of assistance. Lastly, we can plan a vacation under the hallmark of eco-sustainability so that our leisure time won’t weigh upon our poor planet Earth.
There certainly is no lack of alternatives to choose from. Vacation time is such a beautiful and gratifying moment that even the world of fashion revolves around it, creating collections specifically for the occasion. There is clothing designed for leisure time, for the beach and for cruises. Cool and lightweight fabrics caress our skin while hats and sunglasses protect it. Even the cosmetic and fragrance industries invent everything we need for our holiday: suntan lotions, pre-tan lotions, after-sun lotions, lotions to make our tan last longer, waterproof make-up that adapts to the sudden change of climate, fragrances that evoke sunny beaches or a trip in a sailboat or even a night in front of a crackling fire after a day on the slopes.
Be that as it may, the true vacation is the one we experience in our hearts. That moment in which we take a break from all our facades, from what others see in us and from what others expect of us. Once we obtain full control of our time, we can actually say “no”. We can do our stuff at a slower speed; we can close the door to the outer world and just do what we really love and what makes us happy.
Vacation time is freedom.
Photo credit: http://www.mia-lejournal.com
HOLIDAY (eng) Mia Le Journal Holiday Issue Making every day a holiday: it is really possible.