Discover Yourself: Take a Vacation

When you set out on a vacation, you probably look forward to exploring new adventures, meeting new people and visiting intriguing places. All of those are likely to happen, but the most important discovery will be what you discover about yourself.

Since I’m just returning from a vacation connecting with new and old friends on the East Coast of the USA, I have recent and firsthand experience with self-discovery. Here is one thing I discovered.

There is peace in letting go.

Although I’ve been able to be flexible throughout my life, until now I’ve always thoroughly planned everything, including vacations. I had never taken a vacation without knowing where I would be sleeping each night, until this one.

My key plan was to observe the fall foliage in the mid-Atlantic states and visit a friend who was also my oldest daughter’s first violin teacher. I set aside two weeks and set off to meet my friend, Nancy, who lives in New Hampshire and who would be my first host.

Nancy was a little reluctant to tell me how things had changed in her life during the months since we originally planned my visit. Due to two major deaths in her family and a number of other changes, she was in transition so that meant that so was my vacation. I discovered that planning our stays and visits day to day was surprisingly peaceful for me since I couldn’t worry about what didn’t exist yet.

Because we were both flexible and open we stayed with very welcoming relatives along the way, landed a great hotel deal at the last minute in Boston, and due to a threatening storm took a train during part of our trip. As a result we enjoyed a trip that was far more enjoyable because it unfolded as we went along.

Even if you’re a planner like me and prefer to have everything clearly laid out before you begin, I encourage you to loosen up a bit and trust the Universe. We are not in control as much as we think we are in the first place. So relax, enjoy the scenery, the ride and embrace the surprise treasures along the way.