Paradise Realized

Vacation. All I ever wanted. The escape from the every day has been some how engrained as a necessity to get away. But after my most recent escape, I think that it does quite the opposite. The time away from the grind of daily life gives us the time to truly appreciate what we are able to experience- not only in the days we spend away, but also in the grind we have left behind. 

It is not innovative to say that we take what we have for granted. But it is to think about the luxury of stepping away from that going to make you appreciative rather than losing something that makes life harder to realize all that was at your disposal prior. While gaining the amazing experiences that a break from the norm has to offer, many slip into that world of responsibility-less freedom. They may or may not be living in the moment, but they sure aren't thinking about getting back to the daily life from which they came. I found this break an amazing chance to realize how special that grind is. It's not glamorous. It's not fun. It's not vacation. But it is mine. 

It forms reality. Give perspective. Providers a sense of self as well as a sense of the world around you. When it's joyous, it's special. And even when it sucks, it's special. Because it's yours and no one else can have it. We spend too mush time focusing on what we could, should, would have rather than appreciating reality for all its joy and sucky-ness. Especially in this world of constant communication and sharing, we forget the giant sections of life left in the shadows. We compare ourselves to a standard to which even those creating it cannot live up. 

We return the favor to them and perpetuate to others- sharing out greatest moments while hoping no one sees past the joy to the suck sitting in the 99 pictures taken to get one worth sharing or the years of struggle behind that 1% success. 

I spent a week in paradise. And instead of just taking a week of memories with amazing people, literally 1,000 pictures, and an extra suitcase full of trinket-y souvenirs (all of which, mind you, I am definitively taking), I also get to take the fact that the grind that I am returning to is perfect. Because it's mine. And quite frankly it's not a grind that I would trade for much... Except another week in paradise. I'd take that in a heartbeat. 

Winds of change

It's a blustery day (to say the least). I lay awake unable to sleep as the winds howl outside my window; forceful enough to disrupt the comfort of the typically calm night. There has been much devastation today, but we have to see past it. Rather than mourn the loss of a quiet night, we should look forward to the excitement of a fresh tomorrow swept clean by the winds of change on which to build the greatest of dreams. 

Rather than wallow in the worry of today, why not revel in the possibility of a better tomorrow? As terrifying as the potential for damage is, it is not without risk of facing tragedy that we could ever experience something better. 

I don't know what it is, but I should be scared of the eeirie sounds and the wind relentlessly pelting my window with the debris of yeterday. But I am oddly calm. For some reason I am anticipating greeting a clean slate of tomorrow. Forget the potential of the mess created the past swirling around itself. Time to focus on the better days that lie ahead.