On Relaxation

Relaxing has always been a weird, if not intangible, thing for me.  Personally, I don’t understand how people do it.  I guess for me, relaxation is the ability to do nothing, but that’s just so hard to do.  How do you do nothing?  Is that even possible?  I guess you could stare at the ceiling some but even then that’s still something.  Is it possible to do nothing?  Do people do nothing successfully?

I just got back from a relaxing vacation.  There’s really only three types of vacations - events, visiting, and relaxing.  Event vacations are when you visit for the holidays, or to attend a wedding or something.  Visiting vacations are when you visit specifically to visit something or someone, either a family a family member or some sort of landmark.  Then there’s the relaxing vacations, which you go on just to get away from everything in the world, even yourself sometimes.

I guess this vacation was supposed to be relaxing.  I’m not saying it wasn’t - it was, definitely, but it was definitely meant to be so from the get-go.  White sand beaches, tall crooked palm treas, and waves as crazy as a whole foods cashier - isn’t that the poster child of relaxing?  Everyone there would spend days out on the beach just watching the waves inch up closer and closer, laying on benches, with a pina colada.

I guess what I don’t get is WHY it was relaxing.  I didn’t do anything more than stare at the waves, which I guess isn’t really too much more activity than staring at the ceiling.  My thoughts were the same, thinking about work and other things, yet i do feel refreshed.  Was it the weather?  The drinks?  Was it just the fact that even though I can worry about work, i’m physically incapable of actually DOING any work?

I think I’ve settled on the idea that’s its the water - I love water, and there’s just something about the way water moves and thunders as it rolls up a sandy beach that really…gets you.  Also, part of it really is the vast emptiness water represents when you’re at places like this - you look out for miles and miles and there’s nothing but water, and sure you can swim a few feet, but really, you’re stranded there until the plane comes to get you.  It’s almost comforting that you’re being abandoned, and left alone - but I guess I always was a loner.