Every trip we have taken to a different locale far away from our familiar territory is a pause in Life’s normalcy. Some trips are exciting and invigorating while a few may be endurance travels, but the thing to remember is that we are removed from our comfort zone.

Recently, we visited a tropical country with jungles, exotic wildlife, oceans and beaches, and a very different standard of day-to-day living. Such a vacation was enjoyable and educational, and at the same time humbling as we are reminded once again how blessed we are to live freely, safely, having our needs met (and so much more than we really need to live a full life).

Not all vacations are continually restful nor peaceful, but they do allow us to pause and hopefully return a bit refreshed-after recovering from the traveling aspect of distant destinations! Moving to a different city or country can result in the same feelings after the settling-in process is completed. I wonder at times what it is that prompts me to explore places not yet seen or even known to me until research has revealed them. I suspect, like many of you, that I seek a bit of adventure, enlightenment, engagement, challenge and rest. Upon my return from some idyllic destination, I seem to be more energized, wanting to repeat the trip in the future. However, there have been a few vacations and trips which taught me a great deal more about myself but which I have no desire to repeat. This is to be expected simply because the ups and downs of vacations and trips mimic our daily lives. Few of us ascend to a bucolic alpine meadow and remain there indefinitely.

Rest can be elusive and even uncomfortable, especially for us ‘doers’ whom always need something to focus on in order to be distracted from the unpleasantries of our trials and failures. Boredom has become a neglected part of our lives and seems to negatively affect our psyches, especially in our energized world of instantaneous gratification. But I am learning that to be bored has its’ advantages, forcing us to put the smart phone and computer down, turn off the news and so-called influencers, and simply pause and imagine this life we have been given to experience. And, what we have to offer in return.

I recently came across this devotion from John Ruskin which speaks of musical ‘rests’ and how we perceive similar pauses in our daily journeys. I find his analogy sublime.

There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of the song. God sends us times of leisure by allowing sickness, disappointed plans, and frustrated efforts. He brings a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives, and we lament that our voices must be silent. We grieve that our part is missing in the music that continually rises to the ear of our Creator. Yet, how does a musician read the rest? He counts the break with unwavering precision and plays his next note with confidence, as if no pause were ever there.