Be Inspired: Five Reasons Why You NEED To Leave Town!!!

My family and I recently took a trip to California. We stayed with friends close to San Jose. We went because our kids had allergy treatments scheduled in San Francisco. I’d like to think it was a vacation but in reality it was a whirlwind of driving and treatments with a little fun thrown in here and there. Before our trip I was stir crazy. I hadn’t left my hometown since last August! I felt as though I had been doing the same thing everyday, I was feeling like a robot. It got to the point where I started to feel depressed and unhappy with life. Leaving town helps me to refocus, get out of my own little world and be inspired. Below are a five reasons why I think leaving town is a healthy idea!

Reason #1: A Different Perspective Of Home

We may not have had a lot of down time on our trip but we certainly had time, LOTS OF TIME, driving in the car to talk, catch up and refocus what we were doing in our lives. I especially love long road trips for this very reason. You are stuck together as a couple or a family. You have nothing better to do then just sit and talk. No wifi to distract you, no computers or activities to run off too, just you, your family and the open road. If the kids had enough talking they would turn to books, coloring books, DVD’s, Leappads, toys. We would also read aloud to them. When they were busy Mike and I would have time to chat about how things were going for us at home. I love leaving because I feel as though we are able to step out of our lives and look at it from a different perspective. In the middle of living life at home you are not able to look at where you can and should change to make things better. Stopping at home would mean dropping all that you are trying to accomplish. When you leave where you live, you have the chance to contimplate, think about and examine the area’s in your life that need change.

Reason #2: A Change Of Pace

I would guess that most families are leaving to just get away. Most trips are either action packed or full of relaxation. Either one is a change in pace from our usual routines at home. Some years my family goes to the Cayman Islands. That is a nice slow relaxing pace. The last two years we have gone to California, that is a very fast paced trip! I think there are benefits to both of these kinds of travel. When on a slow paced trip people tend to relax, de-stress and recharge, gaining readiness to come back to the active life of home. I have noticed on fast paced trips we come home re-charged but looking forward to relaxing at home. After this last trip we took home has felt like a sanctuary! We have thoroughly enjoyed the slow pace that home seems to have at the moment. Do you see how either pace gives you a different perspective of coming home and how they can both be good? A change is always good in a life that feels repetitive!

Reason #3: Experience The World

Open your eyes up to the world in which you live. At home people and places start to blend into daily life. Leaving town gives you a chance to see people differently. Seeing things differently helps you to see how interesting this world really is. Good or bad, nothing is better then seeing things with all of yours senses. Leaving town gives you the chance to experience the world fully, not just through pictures, videos and stories.

Reason #4: It’s Not About You

I can always use a good reminder that life is not all about me. While traveling you see others other people. Seeing other people, whom you do not know, reminds you that the world is not about you. God made it for everyone! I love people watching and seeing how unique we all are. I also love visiting people I know! There is a family in California whom we adore. We always leave this family feeling like better people! My kids learn so much from being with their kids and our family dynamic changes for the better after being around them. Leaving our home gives us a chance to stay with good friends far away. It is also fun to plan a trip with out of town friends. We have anther family who we have met in the Caymans a few times! Leaving town gives us opportunity to see others in this world. If we are with friends or withstrangers we see we are not alone. We are not the only ones living on this earth. We can remember we share this earth, which is quite humbling.

Reason #5: Trying Something New

For some reason leaving town lowers my inhibitions. I am more carefree and try new things. Things I wouldn’t necessarily try at home! For instance this trip we stopped at a little “dive” that Guy ate at! I love Guy’s show Diners, Drive In’s and Dives! I wanted to eat what he ate! It was a spring roll with shrimp and pork (both things I do not like at home!), I ate it! I also had PHO that he ate which I LOVED! YUM! If I wasn’t trying something new I was learning something new. I learned from the friends we stayed with that it really is okay to grill anything! Check out the picture above! I never thought of grilling a breadstick, steamed artichoke and jalapenos! I am in grilling heaven at home now! YUM!

Reason #6: Because You Need It!

Sometimes you need to leave home just to induldge. It’s okay! If you need a break then figure out a way to get one. You will never regret taking another adventure, relaxing vacation or time with good friends. It’s good for the soul and good for the body! There is no better reason to leave town then “just because”

Have you left town lately? Where did you go? Maybe you just got home from being out of town, where did you come from? Tell me below!

Strive For Progress!

~Mae

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