Rewild Your Summer Vacation

Close is the new far…

I’ve come to the realization that one of the best ways to rewild your summer vacation is simply not to go anywhere, or at least not to go very far.

Is there a little river, with cold running water nearby? A grove of trees that offer shade and the sound of wind?

Perhaps you have a spot in your backyard where you can hang a hammock?

Rather than getting in your car, spending money on gas and food and dealing with traffic and air bnb’s, what if you just used all of that time and money to plug into the peace, beauty, and tranquility of the nature that is near at hand?

How many times have you gone on vacation and felt drained afterward, both emotionally, spiritually and financially? How many times have you felt so relieved to get home? How awesome are your own clean sheets? Your own bathroom? Your own yard? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had those sentiments!

Human beings over human doings…

A big part of human rewilding is making space for leisure, for giving ourselves permission to be human beings rather than human doings.

A hammock or a beach blanket are symbols of this revolution just as much as a bow and arrow or permaculture inspired landscape.

Ask yourself what your soul needs when you have time to rest this summer. Do you need to get in the car and spend time on a highway? Do you need to spend so much money in the process? What is driving us to do these things?

Backyard Vacation

How does a cold pitcher of lemonade sound? A blanket in the grass and a good book. How about a nap? The real wild stuff is found with a magnifying glass in your yard, looking at miniature worlds, getting to know your robins and squirrels. What if the world that was coming toward us was simpler, more joyful, less hurried? What if we made space for that world during our next holiday?

This summer I invite you to consider simplifying your vacation plans. I invite you to ask yourself what it is you really need. Are you tired? Do you need to rest? Is there someone you love that you want to spend time with? Are you craving time at the ocean? Perhaps you just want to take naps and have a campfire each night. These things cost less and give more. Perhaps making the choice to slow down, connect deeply, and choose rest and reflection rather than spending and distraction would be something to consider. Not for any reason other than your own desire to enjoy your time more fully and receive deeper rewards for your time away from the usual routines and demands of work.

In the process you may find that the places all around you have so much more to offer than you might have thought, and that could make a big difference throughout all the seasons of the year.