A Day Away

Some days when I feel I am drowning in a murky river of mediocrity, when my comfort zone feels like a grave, I need to get away from all that is familiar.  Since I can't afford to go to some exotic place at this time, I hop in the car and drive to a different frame-of-mind zone.  The quintessential college town of Claremont is always high on my list of places to recharge my mental energy. It takes me back to a time when life was less complicated, crowded and dominated by shopping malls.

It is located half way between the ocean and the snow capped mountains, but it could be a small college town in the mid-west. The people are friendlier and the students seem healthier, both physically and mentally, than the mall rats that frequent so much of the landscape in Southern California.

The whole atmosphere helps me to set aside feelings of dissatisfaction and replace them with happiness. Of course, the clear blue skies and the snow capped mountains in the distance, could raise anyone's spirits.

The sales people in the little mom-and-pop shops and restaurants are  relaxed and love to engage you in conversation. Where else could you walk into a bead shop, have a half-hour conversation with the owner, who happens to be a retired hippie and a graduate of Yale, and have him tell you all about his new career of producing glass-blown beads? With a passion.

I have a very dear friend who lives nearby and we ended up having dinner and were able to solve some of the great mysteries of our lives, in two hours time. Nothing warms the soul as much as a friend who is willing to be there for you even as her world is crashing around her.

For me, it was a much needed day of reprieve from fighting past battles in my mind and enjoying the beauty and the peace in the present moment.  When things get to be too stressful, I highly recommend taking your mind on a short change of environment, and indulging in the beauty of your surroundings. As Marianne Williamson says, " Neurosing about the past and neurosing about the future, causes you to miss your life.  Amen.

Comments

[kat]

love that quote. It is so true. Glad you got a reprive from your daily stress :)