“Imagination is the voice of the daring.”  --Henry Miller 

Today I packed up a bag with my journal, a sweater, and a bottle of water to bring to my mini-vacation spot.  It is a small pond/lake where I go to “get away” from it all.  The place is quiet, secluded, calming, magical, and stunningly beautiful and it is only a five minute walk from my house.  Here I sit by the water, surrounded by tall pine trees and geese, and pretend that I have traveled for days to be here.  My present life filled with deadlines, structure, and routine left far behind.  I stretch out on the shore with my book and write whatever comes into my head.  I pause occasionally, my pen hovering over the page to listen to the many interesting sounds surrounding me, frogs, birds diving, fish jumping. 

I am amazed how freeing it is to fall into the illusion of vacation, to fall into the “traveler’s mind” where everything is fresh and new to your eye.  Where you exist in the present moment drawn to playful pursuits such as skipping rocks, napping outdoors, watching the clouds drift or climbing trees.  Imagination is the key. 

Recently I’ve started building a pile of stones here, sort of an ancient method of marking my territory, or to let others know that this spot is sacred.  Every week I add a few more, noticing from week to week if it has changed with the weather.  It is a continuous act that helps to confirm my commitment to letting go. 

The paths were I walk twist and turn, up and down hills, deeper into the forest creating various “rooms” where you are completely surrounded by trees.  Here is where it occurs to me that we can easily create the context of  “vacation” wherever we are.  It only requires a small shift in perception, and a few helpful tools.  Packing a bag gives the feeling of “going away”, and creates a portable “comfort zone”. 

Find a place close to your home for regular jaunts when you need to get away from it all, or to shift your perception of the immediate situation.  A mini vacation can rejuvenate you when you need to create distance from your life but can’t afford the time.  It could be a park, greenhouse, cemetery, waterfront, etc.  Make it your OWN special place, where you go to be by yourself.  Make a decision to enter the “traveler’s mind”, to look at things as if for the first time.  A small cafe in any city could easily become  the south of  France.  A bike ride on a country lane could become a jaunt through the German countryside.  A sunny garden could become a Tuscan adventure.  Let your imagination wander... 

Here is a list of what you might want to include in your bag.  (Knapsacks are most recommended if you are to be gone the whole day.) 

Keri Smith is an award winning illustrator and native of Toronto.  She enjoys working with a wide following of clients in North America and Japan, including the Washington Post, Utne Reader, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Better Homes, and the Body Shop.  She currently resides in a “magic” cottage in Flesherton, painting, illustrating, creating, writing, and living out loud. Her first children's books will  be released Spring 2001, by Chronicle Books..