It’s a thing, really, it is.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a vacation, this is not to infer that I don’t take time off-which I do, however, I have a tendency to work even when I take time off. In fact, that was my intention when I decided I was going on this trip. I brought my laptop and everything.

The first day was mostly about settling in and resting after taking an early morning flight. On my way to the resort I was chatting with one other passenger on the taxi who was also traveling solo. This small exchange made me realize how I easily come out of my shell when I’m in foreign environments and how much I enjoy human interaction.

I think it was on the third day that it dawned on me that I was on a beautiful resort full of so much beauty and things to explore that it was foolish of me to not take advantage of it and have some fun. I made the decision then to just enjoy myself there.

Being a vegan was a challenge since the majority of the food was catered to omnivores. The good thing was that the room I was staying at had a fully functional kitchen so I was able to cook. I also found a burger restaurant that had a couple of meat-less options, though pricey.

When I signed up to go snorkeling I thought it’d be fun and I would be ok, however, it turned out to be a lesson in letting go. Quick back story, I’m getting over the fear of swimming in the ocean. As I looked over the edge of the boat into the deep ocean I was terrified, I didn’t want to jump. It was then suggested that I go down the steps instead. I stood at the steps still scared gripped with fear, while standing there I was trying to figure out why I was scared and where that fear came from. I was literally processing trauma at the edge of the boat, I then realized that the ocean made me feel really vulnerable. Once I came to that realization I made peace with it and stepped in.

It took me a few minutes in the ocean to really get the hang of it, I was tense and realized that I had to let go in order to flow with it. After I let go I started to really enjoy myself and have fun- which was the whole reason for me being there in the first place. I loved seeing the colorful fish, I was so close to them that one of their fins slapped my side haha. Some of them looked like they were smiling, it was so endearing.

After the snorkeling trip I was able to truly enjoy the rest of my stay have fun and let go, something which I hadn’t done in a long time.

Living in the Bay area the energy is very fast-paced, it’s go go go, do do do, it fits me very well since I’m a busy bee. However, we need balance in all things, otherwise, it creates illness and illness will then force us into stillness. My point, we need a balance between doing and being so that we don’t get so caught up with life that we miss the whole point of it- living it. In the Tao, it speaks about effortless effort and how doing nothing actually helps us. Being, being is important, we aren’t robots, we are human beings, but how many of us are actually ‘being’? I know this doesn’t fit everyone, we are all on our own unique paths and are created uniquely. There are those who fill up with one day’s worth of vacation while others require a whole week. We must take what fits us, that’s all, it doesn’t hurt to experiment. Just don’t miss out on the ride of life.