Bring your vacation home
One of my favorite stops on my recent trip to Scotland. A 500+ year old "fairy bridge" tucked away in the forest
Hello there, it's been awhile. This new moon seemed a perfect time to touch back in. I hope you're finding ways to stay cool and enjoy the summer months. Summertime tends to be when we create space for longer breaks, go adventuring, and make the most of our renewed ability to travel farther from home.
Working at a resort with a wellness focus, I often hear guests say "Oh, I wish I could take the whole resort home with me!" I remind them that in many ways, they can. I ask what they've most enjoyed, parsing out the small, simple things that felt most restorative and enjoyable during their stay. We then explore ways to integrate some of those experiences into their daily life at home.
I recently returned from my own three week summer vacation. I delivered my kiddo to his grandparents in Virginia, for his own adventure, then I headed to Scotland. It was a return trip delayed by three years and there aren't words to convey just how deeply I needed this time away. It was restorative in ways I didn't anticipate. I found myself savoring our travel time on the coach. I could simply sit and gaze out the window, watching the scenery roll by. I read the first published Agatha Christie novel. I delighted in meals I didn't have to cook, daily excursions I didn't have to plan, and walked over one hundred miles!
To say it was challenging to return home, especially to 108 degree desert heat, is an understatement. I found myself feeling depressed those first days until I remembered my guidance to resort guests. I reflected on the aspects that felt most supportive and ways I could bring those elements into my everyday life.
The elderflowers were in their prime during my trip, I've never experienced that before and loved the scents and flavors. I ordered myself some elderflower tea bags and have been brewing it daily as iced tea. I realized I really enjoyed reading Agatha Christie, nostalgic of my time living and traveling in Europe when they were the easiest English language novels to come by. I stopped by the library and picked up a few mysteries I've never read. Missing the lakes, streams, and fairy pools, we've started making evening trips to the pool several times each week to float, chat, and be in the water.
While nothing can rival the beauty of Scotland that feels nourishing to me at a soul level and a bone deep way, I've found myself feeling more at home, at home. Relishing travel after a long absence and the re-entry to everyday life has been another opportunity to embody the wisdom of self-care for resourcing and regulating my nervous system. Creating moments of replenishment, true rest, and enjoying simple pleasures that are cumulatively restorative in profound ways.
The inclination or imperative to escape the daily grind is a nervous system response, letting us know something is out of balance. However you honor that call during these summer months, I invite you to reflect: What about the escape feels most helpful? Consider what you can create more space for when you return home that helps you feel cared for, rejuvenated, and better prepared to show up for life each day.
