Vacationer's happier

“Sometimes the cure for restlessness is rest.” - Colleen Wainwright

“I pray you... Your play needs no excuse. Never excuse.” - William Shakespeare

Summer is nearly over for those of us in the upper Midwest of the US. So is vacation season done? Though parents of school-aged kids have likely already taken a family trip, possibly vacation doesn’t have to be out of the picture. Even if it’s a shorter jaunt, there is benefit in planning some time away from the everyday work routine.

Those benefits include:

-lowered stress and blood pressure

-increased creative thinking

-decreased depressive feelings

-greater happiness, especially preceding the vacation!

Here’s how the Sept 2010 issue of Health magazine says it ---

“Studies confirm that time off… relieves stress, lowering your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease. It also promotes creative thinking. And women in a 2005 study who took two or more vacations per year were less likely to be depressed than women who took one every two years…The length of a vacation had no bearing on how happy it made people, according to a recent study in the journal Applied Research in the Quality of Life. What’s more, the biggest thrill came before the vacation.”

This news encourages me. I’ve been pining for a LONG vacation since the beginning of this year. But here is data that suggests the short vacation will do just fine for the ‘happy’ factor! I can manage the time away for – and even have happily planned already – a few three- to five-day ‘get-aways’ this fall. The anticipatory “thrill” of looking forward to the fun is significant! And it's sounding like that anticipation is as good as (or nearly so) the engagement in the actual fun activity.

I've mentioned before an intent to enjoy and live into the present moment. I find it a rather interesting challenge to both be in now and grateful for this day, while also simultaneously anticipate good in the future days. Possibly this month might be opportunity to practice living in this moment while also appreciating both past and future moments? May gratitude, rest, vacations, and happy moments permeate your days!

It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? Psalm 127:2 (The Message translation)

It's important to be heroic, ambitious, productive, efficient, creative, and progressive, but these qualities don't necessarily nurture the soul. The soul has different concerns, of equal value: downtime for reflection, conversation, and reverie; beauty that is captivating and pleasuring; relatedness to the environs and to people; and any animal's rhythm of rest and activity. - Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)

PS: If interested, find the abstract of the “Vacationers Happier…” study in Applied Research in the Quality of Life below.

Applied Research in Quality of Life March 2010 Volume 5, Number 1, 35-47, DOI: 10.1007/s11482-009-9091-9 Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday Jeroen Nawijn, Miquelle A. Marchand, Ruut Veenhoven and Ad J. Vingerhoets

Abstract The aim of this study was to obtain a greater insight into the association between vacations and happiness. We examined whether vacationers differ in happiness, compared to those not going on holiday, and if a holiday trip boosts post-trip happiness. These questions were addressed in a pre-test/post-test design study among 1,530 Dutch individuals. 974 vacationers answered questions about their happiness before and after a holiday trip. Vacationers reported a higher degree of pre-trip happiness, compared to non-vacationers, possibly because they are anticipating their holiday. Only a very relaxed holiday trip boosts vacationers’ happiness further after return. Generally, there is no difference between vacationers’ and non-vacationers’ post-trip happiness.

Of humility

No matter that we may mount on stilts, we still must walk on our own legs. And on the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.
-Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.

-St. Augustine (354-430)

The Source

"You are a dwelling place for the Source of all life."
- Macrina Wiederkehr

Connections

Each of us matters, has a role to play, makes a difference… Together we must reestablish our connections with the natural world and with the Spiritual Power that is around us. – Jane Goodall

Recently I got to visit the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition “which showcases the oldest-known hand-scribed record of the Hebrew Bible” along with The Saint John's Bible, “which represents history's newest hand-written illustrated Bible.” In addition to the fun of viewing the Hebrew words that communicate the supernatural (Creator God and suffering servant Messiah; the Hebrew writings most prevalent among the scrolls are Psalms, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Enoch, and Genesis) it was fascinating to see the use of natural world objects as the medium for communication. The scroll fragments are made of leather/vellum and parchment (learn more about the scrolls). The Saint John's Bible uses ancient techniques—it's written on calf-skin vellum with quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments and gold leaf—to present themes, images and technology of the 21st century.

I thought the pages displayed were stunning. God has gifted us humans with artistic creative abilities, and connected us to a natural world where S/He displays supernatural wonders. I am grateful.

All the winged ones

Give praise to the Beloved, all the earth, all that swim in the deep, and all the winged ones of the air!

– Psalm 148 (Nan C. Merrill, trans.)

Your real life

"For all of a sudden when I saw those lights, I said to myself, Ivy, this is your life, this is your real life, and you are living it. Your life is not going to start later. this is it, it is now. It's funny how a person can be so busy that they forget this is it. This is my life."
- Lee Smith, Fair and Tender Ladies

Preserve it

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."
- Plato

Do groove move

Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well. ~Marcus Valerius Martial

Many years ago I heard Chuck Swindoll lightheartedly assert, “The problem with life is that it’s so daily!” I amen that as I often tire of the mundane everyday. And yet, I remind myself that every day is gift, and that the things we do in our blessed everyday matter.

Take movement, for example.

A recent large prospective study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (July 22 online) found that the longer you sit, the shorter your life span.

Here’s the study write-up in U.S. News Health online:

“The authors of the study analyzed responses from questionnaires filled out by 123,216 people (53,440 men and 69,776 women) with no history of disease who were participating in the Cancer Prevention II study conducted by the American Cancer Society. Participants were followed for 14 years, from 1993 to 2006.

In the study, people were more likely to die of heart disease than cancer. After adjusting for a number of risk factors, including body mass index (BMI) and smoking, women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day on their bottoms. For men the increased risk was 17 percent.

Exercise, even a little per day, did tend to lower the mortality risk tied to sitting, the team noted. However, sitting's influence on death risk remained significant even when activity was factored in. On the other hand, people who sat a lot and did not exercise or stay active had an even higher mortality risk: 94 percent for women and 48 percent for men.

Study lead author Dr. Alpa Patel, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society, said that the obvious reason for the connection is that "the more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity." And that affects your metabolism as well as risk factors for various diseases, she said.

But there could be other biological factors beyond simply getting fatter that explain the link. There's a burgeoning literature evolving around "inactivity physiology," Patel said. When muscles, especially those in the legs, are "sitting," they stimulate or suppress various hormones which then affect triglycerides, cholesterol and other markers for heart and other diseases, she explained.”

These are good reasons to DO more often than sit. Everyday.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield has been preaching the health benefits of moving your body for years. Since the start, I’ve enjoyed their do-groove campaign and dance commercials. Check out their “do” web pages for some good ideas [I especially like their piece on positive thinking and weight loss – the same suggestions can apply to getting your body moving, simply substitute “movement” for “food” and “exercise” for “diet”)]; and for a smile, rewatch the do-groove commercials, or download the do-groove song for ringtone.

But in addition to merely reading about ideas to move, maybe purpose now to be active in a simple but fresh way? Summer is a grand time to do and groove more. Possibly walk or bike to work, park farther away, stand and stretch or jump or dance during a break from sitting while watching TV or doing desk work, weed or harvest a garden, wash windows, hike a trail, swim or ski, clean and chop vegetables, or go to a wedding dance and actually dance.

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero

How you are old

It is not how old you are, but how you are old.
- Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910)