Back home from vacation. Everything is as I left it and all is right in the world. The last week is a memory and one I am not likely to forget. I have seen the Grand Canyon and so can check that off the list. The popular saying now is " bucket list " but I have to paraphrase another popular saying, " my bucket runs over. " I don't see this as a check mark on a list of things to accomplish, but rather as a gift. It was a gift too, in the true sense of the word, as the wife and I received the invitation to join my son and his family on this trip as a Christmas gift. Of course, the real gift is having a son, daughter in law and Grandchildren that actually want to spend time with you. Now that is a blessing. But we are back home now and life returns to normal. Normal is pretty good too !
I think given the time and resources I could have extended this vacation. There was certainly a lot more to see and do. The tourist trade is a brisk one and a costly one. Isn't it funny that many of the things the tourists do are the things the locals take for granted ? I mean, not everything of course, like taking a helicopter ride through the grand canyon, but most other things. There is a company called Pink Jeep in Sedona where we stayed. For a fee you can be driven, in a pink jeep, on a guided tour of the canyons and surrounding areas. It looks like a fun family activity but I'm certain the locals have there own jeep. All the shops and restaurants offering " authentic " everything. In Sedona , they are famous for their red rocks and sell them. I'm betting the locals find it a hoot that tourists pay for a rock ! I didn't, just picked a few up and brought them home with me. A large theme was the selling of Native American flutes. They were available most everywhere and quite costly. I attended a demonstration of playing the flute and what its' significance is. The gentleman giving the demonstration claimed to be one of only four people that still make the Native American flute in the traditional way. Impressive, but the inference was that the others were machine made in some fashion. Given the price they were asking I think something is a bit off. Yes, hand crafted by a true artisan is one thing, mass produced for tourists in quite another. Well,. it is to be expected.
Taking a vacation is like living life. At first you are amazed at everything and do not know a whole lot. Then you get out and explore and begin to experience what is offered. You are excited and start rushing about, like a child. By midweek you are a seasoned veteran, knowing where things are and how to get around. You even start telling the " new " folks what to do and not to do ! All too soon you have to pack and move on. You can only take a limited number of items with you. The souvenirs meant to remind us of our good time. Photographs and nick knacks. Some will sit out for awhile and eventually fade away. Others will rest upon a shelf, collecting dust for years. Those souvenirs will mean little to anyone else. Can you see the metaphor here ?
I would say it is not about the souvenirs, but the memories that have been created. We should create memories for others so that we may continue on. I will probably never see the Grand Canyon again but I will remember what I saw. I went away with my own impression. A good impression. A good life.
I think given the time and resources I could have extended this vacation. There was certainly a lot more to see and do. The tourist trade is a brisk one and a costly one. Isn't it funny that many of the things the tourists do are the things the locals take for granted ? I mean, not everything of course, like taking a helicopter ride through the grand canyon, but most other things. There is a company called Pink Jeep in Sedona where we stayed. For a fee you can be driven, in a pink jeep, on a guided tour of the canyons and surrounding areas. It looks like a fun family activity but I'm certain the locals have there own jeep. All the shops and restaurants offering " authentic " everything. In Sedona , they are famous for their red rocks and sell them. I'm betting the locals find it a hoot that tourists pay for a rock ! I didn't, just picked a few up and brought them home with me. A large theme was the selling of Native American flutes. They were available most everywhere and quite costly. I attended a demonstration of playing the flute and what its' significance is. The gentleman giving the demonstration claimed to be one of only four people that still make the Native American flute in the traditional way. Impressive, but the inference was that the others were machine made in some fashion. Given the price they were asking I think something is a bit off. Yes, hand crafted by a true artisan is one thing, mass produced for tourists in quite another. Well,. it is to be expected.
Taking a vacation is like living life. At first you are amazed at everything and do not know a whole lot. Then you get out and explore and begin to experience what is offered. You are excited and start rushing about, like a child. By midweek you are a seasoned veteran, knowing where things are and how to get around. You even start telling the " new " folks what to do and not to do ! All too soon you have to pack and move on. You can only take a limited number of items with you. The souvenirs meant to remind us of our good time. Photographs and nick knacks. Some will sit out for awhile and eventually fade away. Others will rest upon a shelf, collecting dust for years. Those souvenirs will mean little to anyone else. Can you see the metaphor here ?
I would say it is not about the souvenirs, but the memories that have been created. We should create memories for others so that we may continue on. I will probably never see the Grand Canyon again but I will remember what I saw. I went away with my own impression. A good impression. A good life.
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