But when I was eleven, the hunting trips stopped. Dad’s work schedule clashed with hunting season. In fact, we no longer took vacations. Instead we had the occasional and rare day-trip to the beach and once to the Wild Life Safari in Winston, Oregon. I really didn’t mind. By that time I had discovered movies. Movies became my vacations. I could leave the pressures of high school and sit in a theater and be transported into an exciting world of make-believe.
It was about this time that I discovered writing could be an escape, a fun “mini-vacation.” I could create my own world and the people in it. Even though they don’t always do what I want, in the end, it all worked out.
After I graduated, I made another discovery, reading for enjoyment. In three months I read six books which is funny when you consider I couldn’t even finish one book in four years for my literature classes. I found that reading, just like the movies and writing, allowed me to enter into a new world, meet new people and walk around without having to spend a lot of money or travel miles to get away. I would get so absorbed in the story I would lose all track of time and when I reached the end, I found that I missed the characters and couldn’t wait to return. (I love series novels for that reason.)
Now, I don’t take vacations. Instead I escape into a book – either writing one or reading. You can too. Pick up a book, find a quiet spot and take a mini-vacation.