Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

While I was on vacation at the beach in May 2016, I was sitting on the back deck of the house we rented staring over the dunes at the ocean. I decided then and there that I wanted to spend the rest of my life on vacation.

I began writing down a few principles that captured the essence of the vacation feeling, reasoning that if I could foster a vacation attitude at all times, the rest of my life would feel like one long vacation.

Even while on vacation we have to do a little work: keep the house neat, cook meals, service our offspring. But on vacation, those chores do not spoil the vacation experience. Thus, I concluded, it must be possible to sustain the vacation essence even into the ordinary work-a-day world.

Over the rest of the several days I had on vacation, I expanded and refined my original list. I continue to tweak it, but here it is: Graowf’s principles to enable him to spend the rest of his life on vacation. I hope some help you as well!

NOTE: the left column contains the principles, the right column tips/examples/etc.

Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

Live Willfully Live willfully committed to being fully present and engaged in the wonder of every moment of life.	Starting today, commit to living the rest of your life as if on vacation at the beach Say it out loud now and then: “I’m on vacation!”
Focus Focus as if life is an I-Spy. Focus on what you are doing, even when what you are doing is not-doing. Seek to see the details your missing in each moment. Check all the corners.	E.g.: don’t miss half the moment photographing it! But see also “Time is no object”
Live Immersed Immerse in life. Allow yourself to be consumed by your experience always and continuously. Give yourself 100%. Deepen and broaden your abiding in the Spirit and the universe. Tear the veil between your human aspect and God. Dissolve the boundary between your animal aspect and the material.	Such a man loves to live and is happy to die! Be a bridge between the Divine and the material.
Experience With Your Soul Consciously imagine your soul wrapped around the outside of your body and then see, hear, taste, feel, and smell through it.	The body is an interface for the soul to encounter the material.
Be Your Own Emotional Master Don’t let others control your feelings. Don’t let them create in you any negative feelings — not anger, nor anxiety, nor embarrassment, etc.	Point and say: “I poo-poo you!” or “You just ruined my moment. Apologize now.”
Live With Joy Approach every experience with an attitude of happiness and mirth. Squelch all evil or ill feelings and thoughts with spiritual laughter. Be totally open to the sensuality of being in every moment.	Do not ruin a moment by spending it wishing you had your other hat!

Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

Fix Problems Fix problems and tear down obstacles. Help cheerfully whenever you can to enable others to live these principles.	You can stop and take the time! See “Time Is No Object”
Find the Good Find the good in everyone and everything. Especially seek it when people or things coerce (or tempt) you toward a bad attitude. Speak the good you find out loud to self or others.	God made all things and holds them all in existence, so all things must have good in them! See/hear/speak no evil! Each day, say something nice about someone you don’t like.
Strive to Compliment Strive to compliment everyone you speak with, at least once per day, and strive to help them find their happy places. When a person/situation/stranger evokes discomfort, seek a part of him/her/it to praise.	Make a list of interesting one-on-one conversation starters, such as: “What would you say is your greatest strength?”
Hone Your Intuition Get better and better at learning to immediately assess/feel the truth and wherefore of every person and situation.	This will also make you a better writer!
Live Appreciatively Fully appreciate the richness of God’s blessings. Enjoy what God has given, especially the naturally-occurring, but also luxuries, to the fullest.	Consume what God has given you in all its entirety. No part of a gift should be left to go to waste or rot.
Re-make Eden As much as you can, make a paradise out of every patch of creation you touch.	This was God’s first commandment to Adam.

Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

Applaud the Sunrise Live every moment as an offering of homage to God.	“Pray always, sometimes use words” Only by living each moment according to the vacation philosophy can you live every moment as an offering!
Dirt is Good You are made of dirt. Don’t get to hung up on it.	Learn to relish all the natural smells of man and animal and nature.
Mess is Bad God is order and He has made all things ordered. Entropy is the absence of order.	See also “Surround Yourself With Happy”
Simple is Better Keep it simple. But complex systems of interlocked simple things are OK.	See also “Natural is Best” System of simples example: the human body.
Natural is Best Be it house, soap, paper, food, anything. Strive to be and use only the most natural.	Replace highly manufactured things (or parts of them) with progressively more natural substitutes.
Surround Yourself with Happy Surround yourself with things that make you happy, but attach yourself only to those you converse with for comfort. Create an environments where you spend a lot of time that make you sigh contentedly.	E.g.: my stuffed fox Proxy who goes with me everywhere vs. the stuffed squirrel I got from eating a lot of Clusters cereal and sits on a shelf. When someone asks “Why?” you bought it, do it, display it, etc., answer: “Because it makes me happy!”

Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

Make Time Make time even in the midst of busyness. Regardless of the pressure of what you are doing, be eager to stop and take a mini-vacation to dwell on something or someone beautiful or important.	See also “Focus” and “Time Is No Object” Sometimes consciously stop even when not busy to get in the habit and practice! If things seem to be going badly, stop and remind yourself out loud: “I’m on vacation!”
Try Everything Whatever intrigues you, experience it first hand.	Go watch Zootopia
If You Love It, Live It If you love it, claim it and live it! Don’t be afraid to fully embrace that which you love for any reason. Don’t be afraid to be you and express “you” into the world.	Well, any reason except, of course, on moral grounds, but even those are usually merely a matter of limits. But, see also “Respect”
Respect Respect all people and everything for who/what they are. That also means expressing yourself only to the limits of what the others around you can bear.	See “If You Love It, Live It” Note the limits change with the people you find yourself with! You must respect yourself as well!
Time is No Object Go ahead! Because you are on vacation, you have 24 x 7 hours of leisure time. You never have to worry about having enough time later. There is no rush.	You are immortal, so you literally have forever! Allow yourself the luxuries of boredom and distraction, but see “Focus”
Live Agape Require no thanks. Do it for its own reward.

Spend the Rest of Your Life on Vacation

Money is a Tool, Not a Rule Blessings from God are meant to be used, not hoarded in a private cache. Your savings is only ‘good’ if you are saving it to be used for something special.	See also “Live Appreciatively”
Choose Happy Don’t worry, be happy! Go with the flow! Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Have faith even in the 11^th hour. He clothes the flowers and the birds are well fed. The Lord arranges all things for the good for those who believe in Him.	But to even go with the flow, you do have to act first and dip your toe to test the waters!