Favorite vacation

A couple of weeks ago, we were hosting a boot camp at work and to introduce ourselves, we were supposed to tell about our favorite vacation.

Favorites are not my favorite.

How do you pick a favorite vacation? There's the vacations from my childhood, which have the bonus nostalgia factor. I remember a particular campground where we went. It had a nice creek that would freeze your feet off. Many good memories. 

There's the whimsical vacations. Like a 4th of July in a small town or the labor day weekend whirlwind tour to Kirtland, Ohio; Palmyra, New York, and both sides of Niagara Falls.

I've done a couple of solo trips, where I've enjoyed the solitude. 

And most of my vacations are to visit family. How do you pick a favorite Christmas or summer in the midwest? It's not possible!

On top of that there is all the world travel, which isn't always technically a vacation. Some of my work trips have been every bit as fun as a vacation. Get the right people and it's a vacation waiting to happen. No travel required (I had a great vacation last October working a normal schedule and in my own city). 

You can see why favorites are hard. 

I have had some interesting vacations (three days on an island with an active volcano). Classic vacations (Disneyworld with my sister's family. Again--the people make the vacation). Family reunions traveling across the country. Family vacation across the state, where kids sank up to their knees in muddy sand and we fell in love with some kittens. I've even had the disaster experience. Peru, well, it wasn't a disaster per se, but it sure was a bumpy ride. 

Really, the best vacations are about the memories and there are sure a lot of ways to get them. So I say, love them all!

Whose day?

I'm not complaining that once a year we get a day off in February but this year, I was curious about what we are supposed to care about on this day (besides no work. Let's be honest. That's the important thing for a low-level holiday like Presidents Day). 

As I do in all situations where I want to know a bit of basic info but not invest loads of time, I turned to my friend Wikipedia, which says that the federal holiday is Washington's Birthday, but it has a different name in all the states: 15 variations in all. (How? That is so many names!)

It celebrates Washington specifically, but I guess in some places (what's in a name, they say. Well, apparently what's in a name is what you celebrate) it celebrates US presidents in general. 

This begs the question. How do we feel about this? I mean, like I say, I am all about the day off. But presidents already get minimum 4 years of days where they get to be the special person. And then they get to be special for all the days after that. Seems like maybe they've had their turn.

So, I guess it's fair that no one actually thinks about them on Presidents Day, or President's Day, or Presidents' Day, or Washington's birthday, or whatever we call it. And I am not going to stand on principle if it means not having a nice 3-day weekend in February. So, happy whatever-your-state-calls-it day to you!

This week's ups

Free pizza for lunch on Tuesday

Didn't have to reschedule my dentist appointment, because I didn't have jury duty

Was pretty focused at work

Reading some good books

Fun chat with the family on Sunday

Three-day weekend

Cold weather kept me at home, and home was cozy (and kept me out of crazy event traffic)

Did a lot of cataloging at work

Great weather for cocoa

Listened to lots of podcasts 

Enjoyed some very tasty peanut butter sandwiches

Things were pretty chill, nothing too crazy

Mourning

I've been working on a list of topics to write about, fun, lighthearted inanities that would hopefully make me laugh at a later reading and be fun to write. 

But today, it just seemed wrong to not acknowledge that the world, in its unending contradictory existence, is very very sad. Beautiful, yes; wonderful, yes; but so tragically sad. 

In seconds, tens of thousands of people died in Turkey and Syria. Millions more lost everything. There is still a war in Ukraine. There are wildfires in Chile, drought in eastern Africa, protests in Peru and Iran. Venezuela and Haiti are struggling to survive. Remember the Rohingya, and the military takeover in Myanmar? Police killings in the US? The severe flooding in California? And western Australia? As well as the war in Ukraine, there is still fighting in Yemen and Ethiopia, tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, conflict in South Sudan and across the Sahel due to jihadists. Oh, and a double helping for Syria, who is still fighting a war. Plus an earthquake. And none of this takes into account the daily, less "global" wrongs and tragedies happening around the world: illness, abuse, death, economic disparities, dishonesty, corruption, and on and on. 

Now that you are properly depressed, is there an uplifting point to this? Today, no. Today, I just kept thinking, "I'm so fortunate." Because the truth is, my life is pretty devoid of any of these major challenges. I mean, yeah, my country is kind of losing it's mind, but so is everyone, and for the most part, it doesn't threaten my safety or well-being. And I did nothing to deserve how fortunate I am. Nor am I foolish enough to think that I'm always going to be spared, or my part of the world will always be spared. I'm terrified of the day when it is my turn. Which, yes, is woe is me. But beyond that, I kept thinking, "I can't ignore or just not take any time at all to mourn with my fellow man." 

I know people who have cut themselves off from the news, and I get the instinct. The news is generally terrible and depressing. I don't know their situation, or what their needs are, so I can't say whether they are right or wrong. And the news is definitely oversaturated with every little detail. I also don't think you need to read ALL the news. But I also know people who are affected by these events. And I try really hard to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ, loving all my fellow men. So, for me personally, I do try to keep tabs on what is going on around the world. Can I do much to change things? I don't feel like I can. Some people can quit their job and go save the world. That's not me. (Also, I don't think I'd be that much help. I'd probably be in the way). But I can care. And I can pray, (and I believe in the efficacy of prayer) for all the places in the world that need help, not just the one dominating the news. And I can sacrifice having more stuff to give resources to help the people who do go to save the world. 

So, today, I'm just taking a minute to remember and think about an mourn with everyone who is hurting. To be sad, instead of trying to paint everything rosy. I'm not planning on getting overwhelmed and curling up in a ball in my bed and never leaving it (tempting as that often is). It just seems that sometimes, part of loving your neighbor is being sad with them and on their behalf, and it isn't much, but it is what I can do.