I took last week off. You didn’t know or notice because the rest of the staff did a fine job without me.
I didn’t always value time off. In my younger days, I worked long hours and didn’t think anything of it. Like many young people, I had college debt and paychecks that weren’t very big. Working extra hours and side jobs was important. Sleep seemed like an afterthought. I’ll admit, however, that I found time for recreation.
My younger days are long gone. Clearing the brain of stressors and settling into physical relaxation takes longer. My vacation anticipation level is higher, now.
Last week was special for a lot of reasons. Most important, my wife and I spent time with our daughter and son-in-law, whom we don’t see enough, except on video screens.
The destination was important, too. We went to the state of Washington, where the aforementioned daughter and her husband have lived for a few years. We had not been there before, but we can now see why they love it.
I’ve always had an affinity for mountains. I grew up in the Catskills and have long enjoyed camping in the Adirondacks. But those peaks do not compare with the majesty that is Mt. Ranier.
I was struck silent by my first view of the mammoth, from miles to the north. An active volcano, it rises more than 14,000 feet and is the focal point of many a landscape in every direction surrounding it. Covered in glaciers and snow, it is stunning to see in person.
Even better, the kids (They’re in their 30s. They’re still the kids.) treated us to a gondola ride up a neighboring mountain to see Rainier from about half its height. Even as someone whose job is to string words together, I lack the words to adequately describe how that experience struck me. Hardly a waking hour has passed since our return that I have not looked at some of the many photos I took that day.
A different excursion took us on a walk along a gentle, riverside trail in Mt. Rainier National Park. We saw trees far larger than any to be found around here and experienced the Carbon River, a stream that runs from one of Rainier’s glaciers and is permanently murky from the sediment it carries off the mountain.
It was a reminder that nature is incredible and that it’s good to see new things.
We also took time to enjoy some of the built environment of the area, notably the city of Seattle.
I was determined to have the classic tourist experience of that city, and we did — a trip up the Space Needle to view the city and the adjacent Puget Sound; a visit to Pike Place Market to shop, eat lunch and watch the famous tossing of fresh fish; a visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum to see the works of that famous glass artist; and finally a trip to T-Mobile Stadium, home of the Seattle Mariners, to see the New York Yankees beat the home team and clinch a playoff spot.
No, it was not a coincidence that the Yankees and I were in town at the same time.
For good measure, we threw in a day at the Washington State Fair. It does not rival New York’s state fair for size and spectacle, but it’s a very nice exposition. I particularly enjoyed talking with representatives of Native American tribes, who were prominently featured.
It was the break I needed — a week with loved ones, experiencing things I had not experienced before. Not relaxation, exactly — especially with very early flights on both ends — but worth every bit of time, effort and money invested into it.
Here’s a moral to this story, if you care to hear one: Take some time away from your routine. It needn’t be a trip across the country. Reach out to loved ones. Do something. Live.