Nativity Catholic Church
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The Perfect Vacation
A "FIRESTARTER" Spiritual Essay by Rev.
Dr. Benjamin
Berinti, C.Pp.S.
If we gathered twenty people around a table, and asked for our definitions of the “perfect” vacation, I am certain the answers would vary quite a bit. I’m always amazed, and feel a bit sorry for, all those tourists I see at the parks and along the sidewalks of I-Drive. They are purportedly “on vacation”—but by day two, they seem ready for home! It doesn’t take a scientist to evaluate the evidence—sunburned skin, pinker than a juicy piece of prime rib on a platter at Sam Seltzer’s; crabby and whiney kids, overloaded with souvenir paraphernalia; maxed out credit cards; blistered and calloused feet clinging to broken-strapped flip-flops—you get the picture! I think to myself…give me all the money you are spending right now, and I’ll show you what a real vacation is all about! But then again, in spite of the evidence, they’d probably tell me that they’d do it all again in a New York minute! My notion…and practice…of the “perfect” vacation involves just the opposite of doing a lot of stuff. Actually, the perfect vacation involves doing a whole lot of NOTHING for as long as possible! Sun, sand, water, lounging, reading, sleeping, and of course, fine dining—these are the components of true rest and relaxation for me. Yet, the amazing thing for me about “doing nothing,” is that in the midst of it all, “something” usually comes from it! Seems that when I am finally able to clear away all the busyness and “stuff” that occupies my daily commitments, when I slow down enough to stop “doing things,” I give my spirit…and the Spirit, a chance to move in and take over—and then something really worth doing has a chance to be born and breathe—instead of being crowded out or smothered. Mike Di Paola, writing in the July 2004 edition of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, beautifully captures my sentiments: I realize, sitting here, that I’ve found one of the things I’m looking for: nothing. With nothing to do, and with no more stimuli than the sun, surf, and sea, it is an easy trick to shed the encumbrances of real life, at least for a while. In fact, the less I do—the less I even contemplate doing—the greater my appreciation of this paradise. The mind joins the body eventually, and relaxes. After a while, thoughts drift as capriciously as the breeze (p. 169).” So often, our minds and bodies are disconnected—that feeling we describe as “being pulled apart,” or “not feeling together.” Problem is, we don’t slow down enough; we don’t take enough time to be about “nothing,” and consequently, there’s no room, no opportunity for renewal and reconnection. Too much stimuli often leaves us tired, broken and distracted from what we truly want for our lives. Is it any wonder then that our Creator decreed, from the beginning of creation, that we should live and honor SABBATH—a weekly occasion for “doing nothing.” And in this “nothingness” we are truly giving God the honor and praise and attention God desires and deserves? And God, then, has the opportunity to see us face-to-face, rather than scurrying about, and to smile lavishly upon us. Odd thing, perhaps, but our own “appreciation of this paradise,” which God has given us, can only grow and prosper when we regularly engage in doing nothing! I’m all for those lobster-bisque-colored tourists contributing to our economy and providing local people with jobs, but they can keep their idea of the “perfect” vacation…and I’ll keep mine! Have you had your Sabbath yet?
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