It has been a while since I got away. You may have noticed an absence even here on my blog. Not because I have nothing to write about, on the contrary. More like there is no energy to write or do anything at all.
I guess we all know the feeling of being tired and no exit anywhere. All you can (or are allowed to) do is continue working and ensure everything runs smoothly.
That period for me has been over 20 years. I don’t count the “trips” to visit my family as vacations, as there was always more to manage than to rest. Being with my family has now largely been reduced to memories. So by now, it was time to go on a real vacation.
Greenery
At least that was the idea. Until some money-hungry institutions came along to take away anything meaningful and I had to start over again. And again. There seemed no end in sight.
Cloud burst
So I decided to take the bull by the horns and simply book a vacation. We’ll see what happens next. I was getting to the point where complaining about anything was a big loss of time and energy, energy that I no longer had. Not that there was nothing to complain about, but my nature has never been a complaining one. It was not natural for me to do this all the time.
First-morning beach
Today’s environment ties you down to everything. From a cellphone that insists you be available to anyone 24/7, to a step-counting device that reminds you every hour to start moving, because it’s for your own good. It made me tired to be knocked around so much for so little reward.
View from a room
Yet the Fitbit came with me as my “only” timepiece during the trip. It refused to work after the first morning on vacation, apparently, the warm salty water didn’t agree with it. I got a red ring with a white cross for a while and after that, nothing.
The harbour
The cellphone, so much required for flight updates, decided that it would cost me an arm and a leg to stay working. I kept it in flight mode. Only to see that the hotel Wi-Fi still worked. Skype, my constant (remember that 24/7 bit?) decided I couldn’t have moved to a new location, so it refused to work.
Umbrella Street
That first morning, when most of my electronics refused to do what they were designed for abandoned me. At first, it seemed like I shouldn't have left my house. As it turned out, that must have been a sign from the Universe to stop thinking about everything and enjoy freedom. After a few moments of "p’ed-offi-ness", I found that the universe was right. No more electronics, no more connections to anyone, just relax.
Sosua
So there we were, in the Dominican Republic, where luckily everyone in the tourist business speaks English. The all-inclusive resort, which many people will snuff at, was the ideal solution to my overall tiredness. Everything was taken care of, and then some.
There is much more to say about this getaway, so I decided to split this into several episodes, stay tuned!
Until next time…