Vacations and Rituals

Why is it that when I was traveling I allowed myself to get away from my good patterns as well as some of the less than good? What happened to my meditations, my visualizations, my grattitudes? My daily practice of brushing my teeth doesn't change just because I'm on vacation, so why do these?

I know that I am not alone in this and it is an interesting question. When we can use all our great tools the most, we leave them behind. Perhaps this is the sign of the novice. Or maybe I was just lazy. Or maybe it was because I only had a short time to plan. Whatever the "real" reason, I did not pack my SGR program.

There is something about changing one's physical environment that gives us great opportunities and challenges. It is wonderful to shed our schedules and it can be quite joyful to be "different" than we are at home: relaxed, playful, willing to spend our time and money more frivolously. At the same time we have other issues that come up when we travel: the travel itself, being away from home, with our familiar kitchen, bed and other niceties, strangers, lines.

So while it may behoove us to live outside our normal boundaries, it can also create additional stress in our lives. The beneficial tools we have like the SGR program can help us to maximize the potential and minimize the downsides to vacations, travel and family visits.

Is it enough to remember occasionally the lessons in the SGR? Certainly it is better than not remembering them. What I found is that because I was not immersed in the program on a regular, daily basis, I did not "remember" the lessons when I could use them the most!

It is easy to remember to be grateful while on the beach, playing in the surf and sand. Less easy to remember when things aren't going the way I want...even with little things like not having my coffee for two mornings in a row. Pretty minor stuff can really push out of alignment, if we let it.

Lesson from this vacation--pack the good tools in the suitcase. Things that help you "go with the flow" while at home, will assist you on the road as well. And really, how much room does a little MP3 player take anyway? Maybe I just needed this opportunity to experience the contrast of using the SGR program regularly and not using it, so that I can really realize how grateful I am to have it and the difference it makes in my life!