Good For The Soul

The winter seems to be at that point where everyone is just DONE with cold and gloom and ready for summer to be upon us. I think that is funny because the winter in the area where I live has been extraordinarily mild this year. There hasn't been much snow or cold at all. However, the overall dreariness of winter is still there and it does seem to take a toll on the mind after a while. Everyone seems to want to escape on vacation to somewhere warm.

Vacations can be very therapeutic if you do them right. They take you away from the monotony of everyday life. They are full of new and exciting sights and experiences. They give you time to rest and relax and play. BUT, vacations are not a possibility for many people. A lot of people can't afford to be away from work for any amount of time, and even if they could, they can't save up the money needed to take a vacation.

I have heard that Americans take less vacation days from work than people from any other country. People might think that means that Americans are hard workers. While I believe that Americans are hard workers for the most part, I don't believe that is why they don't take vacations. I think they don't take vacations because it's expensive to be an American. Americans have to work constantly to keep up with the bills. Utility bills. Mortgage or rent bills. School loans. Transportation expenses. Insurance of every kind. Medical bills. Then, if there's anything left, you MIGHT get to do or buy something fun.

I'm not saying that Americans have it bad. Certainly all the things that we have come with a price. What I'm saying is, we have put ourselves in this situation of making life too expensive and complicated. Believe it or not, we can be happy without having every single luxury that we have come to expect. How do we get out of the situation? I don't really know. But I think we could start by eliminating a lot of unnecessary stuff from our lives. Maybe walk somewhere instead of driving. Maybe turn off the t.v. for a day. Maybe don't buy that extra thing that you don't really need. Maybe use your cell phone less. Then maybe, just maybe, you might be able to go on a small vacation now and then and actually enjoy the gift that is your life.