My brief respite in between jobs is just about over. Here's a few thoughts while my brain is still in "vacation mode".
1. Recreation is what you make
it
The photo that goes with this
post was taken at Starved Rock state park near Utica IL. It's one of the natural waterfalls that are situated through the numerous sandstone canyons throughout the park. We took the photo on our
second trip there (I'm the small black speck near the orange and blue specs over to the left). Our first trip was
short lived due to both boys getting really sick. But I learned an important lesson in all
this. By choosing a destination only two
hours away, we were able to re-visit and pick up where we left off. If life is in beta, so is recreation. And though we weren't far from Chicago we might as well have been exploring the
forests and caverns of South America. A little imagination and a lot of relaxation
can go a long way if you let it.
2. Live in the moment
Today I dropped what I was doing
and had a watergun fight with the boys. They won. Life's too short to
hesitate. Live in the moment and take
some water on the chin every now and then...
3. Take pictures
We took some pictures and
video. We didn't overdo it. But I'm not the most proactive at taking
pictures when having fun. Probably
because I like "living in the moment". But occasionally you gotta capture those moments. You won't regret it.
4. Savor everything
Sometimes simple meals like
Fish-n-Chips and a slab of ribs can be gourmet experiences when the setting and
company is right. We had some great
meals in good company while overlooking wonderful scenery.
One of my favorite moments was
sharing a motorbike ride with my wife. She usually shuns doing this
with me for safety reasons which I totally understand. But one afternoon she surprised me with the
idea of hopping on the bike. So we rode
off a couple of towns over, dined outdoors and rode back. It was an unexpected treat and one I won't
forget.
