My Vacation Time in New York City and the Renewal of my Spirit

Gaining perspective on my daily reality by walking away from it for a while.

I’ve done it again. Having spent four jam-packed, glorious days in New York City with my husband, I am ready to return to reality — both physically and mentally.

WE ALL ESCAPE IN OUR OWN WAY

Everyone benefits from a change of scenery. Not everyone achieves that escape in the same way. Some people, take my sister, for example, have no desire to explore the ends of the earth, seeing the sights and sounds of other locales and indulging in the cuisine of other cultures. For her, a sappy movie on the Hallmark channel will open her emotional floodgates and allow her to empathize with the wants and needs of others. The diversity of the world comes to her through an electronic escape. Others, myself in this case, have lived an entire lifetime eager to hop a bus, take a flight, or board a cruise ship in an effort to see everything there is to see in this big, beautiful, diverse world. Such was the case when my husband and I decided to book that four-day package to the Big Apple a few weeks ago. Anyone who has ever traveled (or lived) in New York City doesn’t need to be told that this bustling metropolis is chaos on steroids. That is both the appeal and the inherent hell of a mini-vacation there.

A SHORT TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

I travel for two basic reasons.

One is that I have always wanted to see all the glory this big, beautiful planet has to offer. I love foreign cities, unusual foods and people with diverse cultures speaking in foreign tongues. Travel opens my eyes to all the things that I am not. It is both humbling and enlightening. It puts me in my place and makes me both appreciate everything I have and feel a bit sad for the things that can never be mine. The second reason I love to travel — dare I say, I NEED to travel — is that time away from the places and faces I see every day allows me to regroup and recommit to my goals. When I am too busy sightseeing to spend any time writing, I crave the next opportunity I will have to sit in front of my computer screen. I sometimes take my writing muse for granted when I’ve been working on projects for a while. I need to step back and see from a distance just how much this whole writing thing helps define who I am and who I want to be. When I am savoring a local dish in a restaurant in a strange city, I get excited about being able to return to my own kitchen and try some new recipes. Dining out offers limited excitement to me. It’s great from time to time, but nothing feels as good as healthy, clean food coming straight from my own kitchen. When I’ve been away from home long enough to miss my yoga mat, my treadmill, or my bike, I remember how grateful I am to have a healthy exercise regimen at home. I return with a renewed sense of purpose. Travel gives me the opportunity to see my everyday life from the outside, just as a stranger might view me. And, from the outside, I am reminded that I am hugely fortunate in my life. It doesn’t have to be long to be powerful. This recent four day getaway in New York City gave me the same revitalization as many of my two-week cross country trips or my cruises.

DUSTING AWAY THE COBWEBS

I like to think of myself as energetic, positive and at the top of my game. Sometimes, as I go along day after day, week after week, month after month, the thrill of each new day starts to dim a little. I don’t necessarily notice it as it is happening, but I know myself pretty well by this point in life. Cobwebs start to take over my brain and I lose my edge. Recharging my mental and physical batteries is the best gift I can ever give myself. Two-week blowout vacations are great and certainly rejuvenating but not always practical and definitely not always affordable. That’s where the benefits of three or four-day getaways make their mark. They are less impacting on routine scheduling and they are more affordable — thus putting them within reach more frequently.

NEW YORK CITY REALLY PUT ME IN MY (GOOD) PLACE

New York City is so dynamic that every nerve ending and sensory input I have is firing rapidly in all directions when I go there. It sharpens my wits and makes me feel alive. It also makes me want to run and hide after about four days. It makes me want to come back home, roll up my sleeves and get back to the life I was put on this earth to live — and to be grateful for the opportunity to do so. It makes me realize I actually do have some (limited) control over the direction of my life. It gives me a sense of just how quickly the seasons of my life are moving along at a steady and consistent speed. I need that great, big world out there as a centering point for my existence. I need to return to that existence with a refreshed spirit and a clearer sense of direction.