And you discovered

Imagine you are undertaking a meandering journey to the mountains where you were going on vacation; all excited, hopeful and with that sparkle of anticipation in your eyes. From the busyness and monotony of life in the plains, you take a long ride to the mountains. As your MPV starts making that climb uphill, you literally clutch your heart in excitement, in prescience (apparently) of what the climb ahead holds. Life will be peaking in the mountains, the next 5 days you holiday there. So you believe!

But little do you know that there’s more to it than meets the eye. You realise you have booked yourself in a non-secenic place, in the middle of the market. You didn’t leave the plains to land yourself in yet another crowded place, did you? You have a very kind, helpful childhood friend who generously helps book you in her family resort which is gorgeous yes, but the food their doesn’t suit your teenager’s tummy.

Then, there is not much to do in this sleepy, little township. You are happy with the nothingness, but the family wants some adventure, some good food-to assuage the stomach bug, some places to explore and some more.

So a peak will not always translate to a peak. So a holiday in the mountains won’t always spell happiness. It boils down to being content with what you have, where you are and how you make the most of the situations or circumstances you are thrown into.

You return to you hearth in the plains. A flurry of activities over powers your being. It’s time to spring clean, move the woollies inside, donate the old clothes and tidy up the cupboards with summer clothes. It’s suddenly a lot of work after having put your feet up and doing nothing for a few days. The vacation is over (did it really start?) and reality has bitten you!

You speak to some wise friends and family. They dispense some nuggets of wisdom.

Your friend says it’s pertinent to find the work and play balance every day. It’s different when you are on vacation. It’s all play, then. I translate this in my head as  “When in the plains; keep a mind that is plain, simple and balanced. Focus on things and work that needs to be done, irrespective of the various voyeuristic pleasures (a bit of an exaggeration here), the city life will offer.

The family member tells you, “Derive satisfaction from within. Do things that will nurture you as a person. Also do things that will nurture you as a family unit.” Quite bang on indeed. These days more and more of us are looking out at external sources to give us happiness. Be it friends, parties, dining out, the Internet, the mall visits or holidays and so on so forth. We are forgetting about the simple pleasures that can be derived from life. A steaming cuppa coffee on the terrace, a walk in the park, watching movies on the dvd on a lazy weekend, reading a gratifying book, having a soulful conversation, gardening, listening to music - all this can uplift one beyond imagination.

You don’t need to get away; you need to find your inner peace right here; right within yourself. So be it!