Vacation to Clear the Clutter

Vacation to Clear the Clutter. We vacation. What is a Vacation? What does it mean? To Vacate, to disappear, to stop the everyday mundane and Go away. Far, far away. To relax, to enjoy, to rest, to find solitude, to take an adventure, to experience something new, to breathe, to clear the mind, to Clear the Clutter that our mind must endure on a day to day basis.

To find Peace.

On a day to day routine the schedule of maintaining a home, working full time as a Family Nurse Practitioner, as well as the roles of a wife, mother, friend, and Yoga Instructor can be assiduous, and I most definitely love every part of my engaging, active life. The duties keep my mind active and alert, while learning new things. Some days I come home full of energy ready to go on a walk or cook dinner, write, create new projects, create new yoga classes, while other days I'm left exhausted and can barely get into a hot shower, put on my comfy jammies and climb into bed. I wouldn't have it any other way and I love it all. The business, the race against the clock, the list of my to do's I create for myself, the meetings, the hats and roles, the constant connection to the world around me, the responsibilities, all of it, a world I have intentionally created based upon my own passions and love for people. I'm a full time giver, in every which way. I'm a giver by heart and I'm also an intuitive empath by nature, taking on the feelings and emotions of the world both personally and professionally. All qualities that have made me who I am and also qualities that require fine tuning, loving care, and attention. On a daily basis, I'm praying, breathing, meditating, walking, writing, journaling, listening to music, humming my favorite song, practicing some form of yoga, and paying careful attention to what I'm filling my mind and body with.

I stand by my boundaries and can easily say no, while not hesitating to change my mind if my body requires the need to. On a day to day basis, I tap into hundreds of people from work, to the internet, phone calls, text messages, emails, social media, family, friends, church, people around me, broadcasts, podcasts, websites, the list goes on and on. Having an astute awareness to this constant noise I know I must to stop, disconnect, and reset.

The importance of clearing the mind and day to day noisy clutter is VITAL. Care and attention to my physical and spiritual body on a daily basis in spurts as well as for an extended period of time is required to maintain whole body balance.

I love to go away. It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't need to be a place well traveled, it really doesn't require anything at all, other than to stop the day to day in's and out's and recognize that the mind as well as the body needs rest and reset. Some weekends I love to spend quietly at home, other weekends I love to spend connecting with friends or family, and then there are other carved out moments in time where a planned trip is needed to which my husband and I can spend a week disconnecting from our every day lives and connect with each other as well as ourselves. There is much to be said about being able to create time to get away from our everyday lives. To truly create a moment where your mind can rest, alleviating it from the day to day to day hectic noise that we all live in. I love a vacation with no schedule, and I don't need to be entertained. In fact I prefer the opposite. Less is more for me. Less noise. Less schedules. Less of daily life.

To be able to enjoy the sound of the ocean waves, to be able to allow the mind to to wander freely filling it with sights and sounds not normally heard on a day to day to day basis. To close your eyes and breathe in the air from a distant place, to take in new sights, to feel the morning breeze of a place far, far away on your skin. To connect to something, somewhere different. To allow the Mind and Body to experience something unique.

I love the ocean, and to connect with the water for an extended period of time with my husband. Ocean vacations have been some of the most special times in my life. A place where we first connected a long time ago, a place where my husband first professed his love to me, a place that feels like we are all connected to something bigger and greater, far beyond the daily routine. The soothing ocean for me represents life, peace, vitality, expansion, healing, creation, abundance, and a love for all creatures great and small. The sand, the salt water, the ocean air, the salty scent, the moist feeling on my skin, the soft crunch of the sand under my feet, the way the ocean rhythmically sends her waves of love to the sea shore speaks to my heart and caresses my body to return me to a state of calm and equanimity. Her ocean waves communicates like no other, always there awaiting my return, sending her waves to embrace me, nourish me and heal my body and mind. I love to think while taking long walks on the sea shore, ponder life, my lessons, my triumphs, my mishaps, my pain, my grief, where I've been and where I'm going. I love to pray while taking walks by the ocean, sending all my heartfelt prayers to her vast depths, I love to release any worry or doubt, and I love to just make space to think of nothing at all, almost as if awaiting for the ocean to speak to me. I listen, attentively and quietly.

Growing up on the Pacific Ocean, I recall as a child freely swimming, playing, body boarding, picnics, lunches, taking in hours of sunshine most times from morning to dusk. As I got older, the same playfulness and enjoyment came with visits to the sea with more care and adulthood of course, making sure I had sunscreen, sunhats, sunglasses paying attention to safety maybe even less of that carefree, childlike spirit. Oh adulting, I see you and recognize you.

A Door of opportunity. A Window of Vastness.

Perhaps life, perhaps maturity, perhaps the lessons of an accumulation of experiences have brought me to a place where my spirit is awakened by the ocean in a new way. A new window, a new opportunity to experience her great ocean vastness. Perhaps a state of awakening for something more meaningful, fueled by the need for spiritual, emotional, and physical rest has caused my new found clarity. I truly discovered an adventure of spirituality while connecting with the Ocean. I can close my eyes and think of all those before me who walked the oceans edge. Great discoveries, journeys traveled, ships that sailed from abroad, the natives, the explores, the adventurers that were before me and even further back thinking of biblical times to include Jesus, his disciples, the lessons, the stories, the prayers, the miracles. The same sand, the same waters, the same ocean. A true creation from Heaven above. A connection to the past, while tapping in to the present. One body of water connecting us all.

This vacation I have truly cleared the clutter and made space for emotional healing, spiritual connection, and psychological rest.

A Soul vacation for my Heart.

Hope you enjoyed and this has inspired you to pursue a soul vacation!

From My Heart to Yours!

Leave a comment below! Let me know if this has sparked something new!

Erica Jane