One thing about vacation, we are definitely outside more. We have the good fortune to stay in a place that has a lovely deck. We eat all our meals out there- breakfast, lunch and dinner. If we are not eating at home, we will choose to sit outside at a restaurant (dependent upon the weather) or picnic al fresco.

Where we vacation has wonderful sunsets over the beach so we are encouraged to get outside to witness them.

Why do we take the time to appreciate our surroundings only during vacation? Why not every day or at least a couple times a week?

Just as I do not think extremes work for the human condition- whether it is extremes in diet or exercise- so too do I think we should not be extreme in our lifestyles. We shouldn't be all about play or all about work. As they say, we need to stop and smell the roses. With that analogy, it doesn't say stop and spend all day in the rose garden, but rather stop and take a little time to appreciate your surroundings.

A vacation is a gift of time- almost as if time could be parceled out and with a vacation one doesn't have to worry about wasting it. One usually doesn't have any major responsibilities during a vacation. I like to use the time of vacation to reflect on my goals and to see where I have been and where I am going. If I have veered off course, this is a good time of reflection to get back on track. It is a good time to plan for future changes and tweaks in my lifestyle.

For instance, I want to be more intentional with the balance of work and play. I realize that I am feeling stressed with trying to get everything accomplished in one day. If I just parceled out what I need to accomplish in smaller chunks during the day and throughout the week, I would enjoy all that I have to do. No longer would I be pushing from one "to-do" task to another. I would have to time to appreciate sunsets more.

What about you? Have you noticed your surroundings? How do you balance all that you have to do in a day? Do you find that you are rushing from one event to another without any clue on how each event went? Have you seen the sunset lately?