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Choosing between mountains and beach for vacation?

Set that deliberation aside and begin by defining vacation.

For the working "stiff", it is understood that vacation should be recess from the rat race, a sabbatical from stress and abandonment of anxiety.

Crowds of people, noises and movement are exciting and exhilarating. The beat of the sounds and the heat of the sun and human blood courses faster. Adrenaline pumps in overdrive. For the romantically inclined, the hormones swell feverishly. The crashing of waves crescendo with babies crying, children screaming, birds squawking, mothers yelling, dad's cavorting and the ever distracting sand in my shorts. These are the scenes on a beach.

However, these are not the recess, the sabbatical nor the abandonment expected from a vacation.

Though I do love the beach and all that it offers for recreation, romance and play, I would NOT call successive days at the beach a vacation.

The vacation of my fondest dreams would find me in a modern cabin, nestled beneath towering trees just a short pathway from the rippling edge of a mountain lake and miles away from humanity.

A nearby stream would offer opportunity for cooling my feet, gentle breezes would cool my skin and solitude would cool my temper.

Hikes in the woods provide exercise, exploration and discovery. Knowledge to fill libraries decorates the paths on the forest floor. Fields of wild flowers and butterflies serenade the soothing meditation and short naps.

Evenings would find me nestled near a softly roaring fire toasting my nose, my toes and my soul. The stillness of a mountainside at dusk creeps into a night filled with sound of hooting owls and tree limbs crackling in the wind. Stars shine nearer, the moon glows clearer and my sight like a seer is tuned.

When the pace of life is out of control and the soul and body cease to connect, the time has arrived. An escape from the world is needed. A vacation is required.

Casting aside life responsibilities like Frisbees on the beach is abandonment and denial.

Pondering and considering life responsibilities like the sweet, silent savor of a mountain breeze is acceptance and renewal.

Choosing between mountain and beach for vacation?

Begin by defining vacation.

Learn more about this author, Sharon Cohen.
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