In many other cultures, it is commonplace to retreat
from everyday life for a prescribed time and get
in touch with the aspect of ourselves that is not
goal-oriented and time-oriented,
is not concerned with gaining or losing,
but is boundless and infinite.
+Darlene Cohen
Pleasing yourself with special treats from time to time
is vital to a healthy, satisfying life…
We need to surround ourselves with little rewards
that mean something to us, that we can keep separate.
Whether it be a sip of wine, a shopping spree,
a well-deserved vacation, a vigorous laugh,
or a satisfying cry—such small indulgences
can brighten and enliven our lives.
THANKS TO THE PANDEMIC AND NOW THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, I’ve become aware of a different way of getting away and enjoying some time to refresh and rejuvenate myself—the invention of the staycation! Since we can go out and about these days with some caution and going long distances is prohibitive due to the cost of travel, I chose to stay home and just set out each day for a week to places I enjoy and haven’t gone to for two or more years. It was wonderful! I recommend it to everyone.
I usually travel to Minnesota to visit my family sometime during the summer. As I move along in the aging process and experience some health issues, that long drive to Minnesota just doesn’t work for me anymore, and going by plane is not something I enjoy doing anymore either. The recent challenges at our airports made me even more leery of that mode of travel.
Even though I’m “retired,” I am still bound by goals and time as I volunteer in the Archives here at our Motherhouse. I really enjoy the work, but like anything else, one needsto get away for awhile to step out of a routine and live life pursuing one’s own interests and time, and that’s what I did.
I hadn’t been to Maumee Bay State Park just to sit and look out over the water while enjoying lunch and people-watching for a long time. It was a hot day, and I felt comfortable at the beach because of the constant breeze. I also hadn’t been to the wonderful Toledo Museum of Art for a long time and relished the hours I spent in the galleries and even had a light lunch there. There is no way I could see the whole museum in one day, but I did save enough energy to go over to the Glass Museum and enjoy the lovely glass work. I was especially taken with a glass chess set depicting a chess game between the Hasidic Jews and the Franciscan Catholics. The glass detail was amusing and incredible!
Since the pandemic, I had only done shopping for groceries and medications. The grocery store and the pharmacy were my only destinations for quite a while. Spending an hour or so in a book store was something I just hadn’t done, and it was truly a joy to do so again. I also went to the Sylvania Public Library, something else I hadn’t done in a long time, and caught up on magazines and periodicals I don’t usually read anymore. I found a beautiful magazine from the Middle East showing the rich culture of that part of the world, the people, the buildings, the clothing, the food, etc. It helped me appreciate my Muslim friends here in Toledo even more.
There’s nothing like a movie shown on the big screen at a movie theater, and a friend of mine and I went to the mall to see the recent “Downton Abbey” film. We were both big fans of the TV series and enjoyed getting caught up in the lives of the characters as they were portrayed on the big screen.
I went back to the mall to do some shopping, and it wasn’t as productive as I would have liked it to be. I found it very difficult to walk from store to store, and there didn’t seem to be very many places to sit and rest. I may become an online shopper in spite of my computer challenges.
Overall, I did enjoy these small indulgences, and they did brighten and enliven my life. I recommend a staycation to everyone—the price is right and it’s your time to do what you want. Go for it!
Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org.
+Robert Ornstein and David Sobel
