Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Wasted Away Again In Margaritaville

Last week I completely lost touch with reality.  Today is the first time I have worn shoes or a watch in over a week.  Most of last week I was in Margaritaville with Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley music as my soundtrack.  Vacations are wonderful if you are fortunate enough to get one but when they are over it is tough to get back into the rhythm of daily work.  However, it is probably a good thing for me to get back into my normal rhythm of life.  Even though I had a lot of fun last week, it almost killed me.  Vacations can be a lot of work especially with the stress of traveling by plane.  This particular vacation was a family trip and that can be a mixed blessing.  The highlight for me was the joy experienced by my granddaughter.  She had the time of her life.  It was her first time to fly on an airplane and her first time to see the ocean.  She practically lived in the hotel pool.  While my butt was dragging much of the time, she took everything in with enthusiasm and wonder.  She has also inherited her Dad’s love of adventure.  While she was riding the roller coaster through “The Mummy’s Tomb” at Universal Studios, I was sitting in the shade trying not to have a heat stroke.  Despite my occasional physical fatigue I also did lots of fun things and overall I really enjoyed myself.  When I finally got home after six days and five nights of family time, however, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  I once again realized that there’s no place like home and I love to sleep in my own bed. 

The resort I stayed at last week was definitely geared towards younger people.  Most days the party started around noon…after all the young people had slept off their hangovers from the night before…and it was usually going strong after I had gone to bed each night.  One particular day was “Rave” day.  There was a DJ who played endless loops of dance music with thumping bass lines that sometimes rattled your insides.  I dug it the first few hours but after about six hours I would have liked to hear some Chicago blues.  The repetitive nature of the dance music made me think about the repetitive nature of our lives with the seemingly endless loops of our behavior and thinking.  It is difficult for most of us to break out of routines and to think differently.  We often feel locked into our patterns of behavior.  I receive a daily thought each day on my cell phone based on my personality.  One thought I have received several times challenges me to act the opposite of how I normally act.  Instead of always trying to sugar coat everything, perhaps I need to be more blunt and to the point.  Instead of acting passively, perhaps I need to be more assertive.  Instead of trying to be invisible, perhaps I need to put myself out there more often.  Instead of biting my tongue, perhaps I need to speak out.  Do you get the point?  Our lives can be endless loops of the same old song.  Occasionally we need to change the beat of our lives and create some new and fresh harmonies.        
 



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