Staycation vs. vacation

Kitchen Clutter

Save money. Complete my "to do" list. Clear the house of clutter.  Reorganize the kitchen. Visit the tourist sites and museums that I never made time for before. Home makeover projects. Catch up on my reading. Get to bed early and sleep for eight hours. Take a few day trips.

Those were all of the things on the agenda for what was supposed to be a relaxing stay-at-home vacation.

But as it turns out, almost nothing on the list was accomplished. I did finish the  first book in the very dark "Hunger Games"  trilogy (here's a review) which I'd started several months earlier during my last vacation. And I did read "Barrel Child," a novel published by a colleague. And I made a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner. But most of the time was spent longingly looking at places I could have gone and mindlessly watching every episode of  "Criminal Minds."


I've done nothing, I've accomplished nothing, yet I'm tired and worn out. Worse yet, half way through my vacation I was already thinking about heading back to work. Maybe things would have worked out better had I made a "staycation"plan.

On the Road in Umbria

I think you need to put your mind and body in a totally different place in order to escape the day-to-day concerns of life and reflect on living. That can't be done at home. You need a beach and warm nights. You need the lull of the ocean lapping against the shore and the sound of gentle winds rustling the branches of palm trees.

You need to see the container ships in the distance as you sip your morning coffee on the deck of your cabana by the sea. You need to tour a place where you've never been, spend an afternoon in a cooking class with an chef who barely speaks English, get lost in an unfamiliar place.

You need rejuvenation and discovery. You need distractions. You need to take your mind and body away from where you are everyday to appreciate living and the life you have at home. Or at least I do. Whenever I go away, no matter how far or exotic, I am always happy to return to my home. Returning home gives me more joy than going away. But the joy of discovery from my journeys stays with me. And that joy fuels my days until the next journey.

So I guess this staycation was a journey of discovery too. I discovered what I need in the way of a vacation. Today I start planning for the next one.