Thursday, June 30, 2011

Vacation and other restful things

I am officially on vacation for the next 10 days. I need it. It's one of those concepts that many of us - at least here in America - do not do well. We work long hours under stressful conditions in order to take a break from work for a few days. But how do most of us typically spend that time? By spending hours packing and planning to hurry to some destination where we fill every waking minute with some memory-making activity. And we come home absolutely exhausted. How many of us complain that we had to return to work just to get some rest after our time off? Well - not me. I'm going to the home of my heart to spend several days just being lazy. Oh, we may take a day trip here and there to do some touristy stuff but there will be very few scheduled appointments to keep. I intend to sleep as long as I want, play with my grandson as much as I can, eat until I'm sated, and just be with my family and friends.

I know I will watch a little TV (mostly Jeopardy and NCIS reruns), walk my dogs, do a little window shopping, sip a few iced Americanos, and Zentangle(R). Zentangle (or tangling) has become a new passion. Thanks to my wonderful Anam Cara (soul sister) I have enjoyed many hours of peaceful meditation through drawing one line at a time. It looks like doodling to the uninformed eye - but it's so much more that that. Anyone can do it - if you can hold a pen you can Zentangle. And although there are official patterns, some recommended supplies, and some basic principles by which to align your thinking, there are really no rules and no need for special equipment. You can do it anywhere. I tangle at my doctor's office, on my lunch break at work, and sometimes (shhhhh) in the choir loft on Sunday mornings.

Here is one example. I'll post more.

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