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July is what I call
“Reunion Month.” Following the
Calhoun
High School
reunion the first of the month, the rest of July is rather quiet and
calm as far as events, but is booked for family reunions.
Because of
this lighter community news schedule, July is the month when I get to
“get away from it all.” Regular readers know how much I like to run off
for the weekend, camping with
Frank
or visiting with friends, and this is when I get to take these breaks.
I just spent
a four-day weekend with all the girls on our annual retreat. We’re not
family, but it is the only time we all manage to get together in one
place. The retreat rules are simple; no men, no kids, no computers,
television or phones. It makes for a fun weekend, and I truly enjoy this
annual event for “just us girls.”
This coming weekend,
Frank
and I will take our annual trip to
Audra
State Park
and stay at our favorite state campground. I’m looking forward to
another weekend sleeping under the stars with evenings sitting around
the campfire. Frank
gets away from the hayfields and the farm, and I get away from
Calhoun.
No offense to hay, farm, or
Calhoun, but the time away is
just wonderful.
Neither of these little
getaways is expensive. For the retreat, the girls bring food and small
crafts and drinks to share, and no one needs to spend a penny and often
no one spends over $25. Actually, the camping trip will cost more with
three nights of camp site fees and gasoline, but with the food, supplies
and everything else we would spend money on if we stayed home, it’s not
too expensive.
I often wish
I could take some local folks and relocate them outside of the county
for three or four days. The change of pace, change of scenery and change
of atmosphere almost always changes your perspective while you’re away.
It is
important to take the initiative to spend time with your family and
friends away from the repeating processes of every day life. If we keep
going through the same routines, we never grow or learn. If we keep
looking at the same problems, we may never see a solution. If we keep
dealing with the same people every day, we are less likely to be open to
newcomers.
I spent four
days with seven women, and we didn’t bash a single soul. We focused on
each other’s strengths, and not weaknesses. I hope to spend a quiet
weekend with my husband by the rippling waters, and not give
Calhoun
or Grantsville a second thought for three days.
I’ll think
about tending my flower beds, and teaching Daisy to swim. I’ll listen to
chittering birds, and fish in clear waters. I will sit and do nothing,
just for the sake of doing nothing.
Doesn’t that
sound fabulous?
Even without
a penny in your pocket, you can spend a day at a nearby park with your
friends or family and have a picnic, sit in the shade and watch the
grass grow. Even if it isn’t a big, fancy family reunion, the
traditional time together is what matters.
It is
refreshing, it is nurturing, it is calming, and
Calhoun
has at least five great locations that are nearby, but once you’re there
feel miles away.
Go. Take a time out.
Leave behind the work schedule and television schedule, the blogs and
the Internet. Focus on your loved ones, and the wonderful world of
nature around you.
People in
the cities value their time away, their moments in the park, their
“green space” and “quiet time.”
Why don’t we?
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