undred miles R 106
Did You Say Pack or Pack it In? Luckily, at the last minute we figured it out—a road trip! Throw everything in the car and don’t go too far. No luggage weight limit, no having to be at the airport two hours in advance; in fact, if you go through New Jersey you save on gas and you don’t even have to get out of the car to fill it yourself, they do it for you. Now that’s a vacation right there! One of the best ideas is to find a friend who has a great vacation home somewhere and visit them. Make sure you wear their size, that way you don’t
have to pack much! And if you’re really smart, you’ll be helpful, that way they might even let you come back again— that could cover like two vacation plans in one fell swoop! Oh, sure, I know there are those few people who love to plan a trip and are great at it. If you know anyone like that, get real close to them and overlook any of their idiosyncrasies; it’s worth it. It really saves a lot of wear and tear on you. Whatever type of vacation you’re up for—near or far, active or passive—
the ideal thing would be to figure out a way to get away without feeling like you need to get away right when you get back home. The next best thing would be to realize, as they say, “Sometimes life’s just no vacation” (even on vacation!). Rivki Rosenwald is a certified life coach and relationship counselor, as well as a space design consultant. She can be contacted at 917705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.
a u g u s t 1 , 2013
S
o you think you finally earned a little R & R. The kids are off to camp. The summer fever has settled in. How do you celebrate? A cruise? It depends. Are you up for spending the next few days hanging over a railing bringing up the contents of your stomach and then some? Sure, there’s lots more to do on a ship, but you’ve got to be able to walk away from the railing first. So maybe that’s something to revisit if you run out of dry land destinations. Maybe Europe’s the way to go—the French Riviera, Costa del Sol, Florence, Venice, Villa d’Este. It all sounds so alluring. But living on tuna, salami, and Chabad cuisine just seems to detract too much from the appeal and the romance of these locales. How about Miami? Lots of kosher restaurants there. But you have to have no fear of melting away completely. Listen, there are endless interesting possibilities. Though If you’re running to the airport, running for a plane, running from site to site, filling every hour, dragging luggage and keeping late nights, what’s the first thing you want when you get back home? A vacation. One of the great challenges of a vacation is how to not come back and need a vacation! You must have a two tiered plan. No, make that three! The first tier should be that the first day has to be about resting from the stress of the year and the added stress of the 3 “P’s”: Picking the place, Packing and the Plane ride. The second tier should be getting it all in and seeing, going, doing, whatever it is you want to get in on that vacation. Ideally, you should make time for the third tier, which should be to include downtime before returning home. For instance: a beach, a spa, a relaxing day or two. And then you can come home a little more prepared to return to your hectic pace. The alternative to this getaway is to go out to your backyard or sit on your deck! There you can relax and enjoy your spouse’s or your friend’s company. Then plan to go out in the evening and get a nice, delicious dinner. You can even spend a day visiting local attractions, as foreign as that sounds! Seriously, did you ever notice how no one would miss an ancient temple or famous art museum in Europe but locally that’s just not done; that’s only for the tourists?! My husband and I recently exhausted ourselves just discussing a vacation.
Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
The Jewish Home n
Life Coach
87