Our annual family vacation took us more than 1,400 miles away to Utah: Our brand of vacation typically involves lots of driving, camping, and at least one National Park. This year, we visited Capitol Reef National Park and camped beneath a breathtaking view of a huge red cliff that took on ever-changing light and shadows from sunrise to sunset.
Even after being home for a couple days, I’m still feeling mellow and happy in my post-vacation glow. Here are my top five takeaways from vacation:
1. You’ve gotta want it
Going on vacation can be hard work. There are reservations to be made, itineraries to line up. There’s the cost of transportation, pet care, last-minute supplies. Inevitably, you have to decide which lights to leave on so it looks like you’re home (does that trick really work?) and if you’re lucky, you have a great neighbor to water your flowers or bring in the mail. You have to keep your head down and machete your way through your obligations in order to clear your calendar. Vacations force you to make a priority of yourself and loved ones.
2. Campfire conversations
As much as I appreciated the canyons and domes of the park, the scenery I really loved was the sight of my four grown-up kids, plus a fiancée/bonus daughter, enjoying each other’s company. In the soft glow of the campfire, they start reminiscing about their childhood memories: broken bones, friends from the neighborhood, and first crushes. Chopping more wood for the fire brought up cherished memories of their Dad reading them Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet; the adventure story of a 13 year-old boy surviving alone in the Canadian woods.
3. The philosophical walk-and-talk
Different than campfire chats, which draw everyone in, hiking facilitates one-on-one conversations as you walk side-by-side on the trail. On a several-mile hike, I ended up walking beside each family member at some point or another. It’s easier to feel reflective when you don’t have to stare each other in the eyes, which is why the walk-and-talk never disappoints. The trail and all the beauty of the surroundings brings hopes, dreams, and philosophies on life to the surface. It’s magical.
4. More reading.
I think it has a lot to do with the absence of our digital mainstays that we end up reading a lot more. Wi-fi and cellular data get lost when you’re deep in the parks, which feels, frankly, liberating. We each brought at least one book, and in some cases, traded books. It provides quiet time and a chance for each person to recharge and be “alone” for a bit.
5. Muscle memory.
Every time I take a vacation, I hear myself say, “I’m going to do things differently from now on.” Whatever vacation feels like, I’m convinced I can replicate it at home.
I’m dreaming!
I will get home and fall back slowly into my bad habits. I’ll worry and over-commit myself. I’ll feel behind. Every. Day. But the muscle memory is there to draw on: I will attempt to bottle up the cadence of my kids’ laughter at the campfire; I will remember how small I feel in the middle of mighty canyons under the cloud-puffed Utah sky; I can conjure the smell of burning wood and the homey, vivid flavor of food prepared over the fire.
Even if I can’t maintain the vacation vibe once it’s over, I have the best of intentions. My muscles and bones will remind me that vacation is good and necessary. I will store these memories and epiphanies on a shelf, to take down from time to time as a reminder to slow down and savor each moment. That will have to be enough.
