Wanted: Body Vacation

When I was a little girl in Catholic school, I remember explaining to one of the nuns that as a protestant I didn't go to church in the summer time. I mean, that was when they closed the Bronx River Parkway to cars and you could ride your bike on a highway, so why would we go to church?

She curtly explained to me that God doesn't take a vacation from us, so we don't take a vacation from him.

This isn't some sort of revelatory posting. In fact, this vignette has little to do with what I'm going to talk about other than the fact that when I was thinking about what I wanted to say in this post the good Sister's phrasing popped into my head. I have realized that one of the things you can't take a vacation from is your body – after all, it never takes a vacation from you (See? Just like God in my story!).

Although I'm generally better from my RSI/posture problems/muscle imbalance – I am still struggling with what exactly to call this – I do have to take extra care when I am on holiday. Usually vacations involve long plane rides, strange beds and jet lag, so typically even if I'm at a stage at home where I'm not doing my physio exercise routine everyday (I am starting to decrease the frequency), I have to hit the floor in foreign hotel rooms and do the whole range of exercises even more often than when I'm at home.

And this kind of stinks. But I've become used to it, as is alarmingly possible with most things. My physio exercises are just a part of my routine now, even when we're on holiday. Future Hub even knows they need to be done like clockwork – he is often perplexed and maybe a big thrown when I say, "actually I don't need to do them today."

Thing is, even when there comes a day where I don't have to do my trio of three core exercises on a daily basis, being on holiday will probably always require them, as even normal people can get stiff from sitting on a plane for eleven hours.

If only someone offered a holiday where you could leave your body behind (I am sure there are already companies that are starting to offer such things in a scary matrix-like way, but I'd have to wait for something more mainstream). Think of the time you'd save not having to pack, or not worrying about getting a spray tan. Although then I guess you wouldn't be able to sample the tasty local fare. But it would certainly save arguments over where to eat. This was a really big problem for my family when we did a big trip to Israel for a week a few summers ago. It was really the only thing we couldn't agree on – especially when my Dad insisted on wanted to eat at the bus station (this is definitely a topic for another post).

I guess for now we're forced to bring our bodies with us on vacation. Which brings me to my point – I think sometimes we forget that our bodies are always there for us and we need to be there for them. We are not just little thought bubbles bobbing around in the air, we need our bodies to enjoy and experience life. Feed it well, keep it moving a bit, and if you're in pain do something about it (in my case, lots of physio exercises) – even when you'd rather be sunning yourself or reading a good book.