SUSTAINING THE PLEASURES OF SUMMER BREAKS

Photo by Kampus Production

“It is in his pleasure that a man really lives; it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self.” —Agnes Repplier

IF SUMMER HOLIDAYS WERE SIGNS

Mention summer and several of its attributes might quickly come to mind, such as long days, picnics, and swimming pools. While stuck in traffic recently, I remembered another attribute: road construction.

As I waited for my turn in the one-lane road detour, I realized that though some of summer’s attributes are more pleasurable than others, they all encourage us to take useful breaks in our routines. Road construction improves roads and travel, and thankfully the road signs minimize disruption and provide helpful direction for navigating the altered terrain. Like following blazes on forest hiking trails, following road signs can become its own summer adventure.

I wondered what it would be like if road-construction signs were analogies for summer holidays. How would these signs direct us? Would they signal June as a speed bump, July a lane closure, and August a full stop? What would they look like? If they followed a DOT format, they might be yellow or orange diamond-shaped warnings or even white or orange rectangles with black-lettered words signaling a regulatory requirement. The possibilities intrigued me.

I imagined a yellow diamond-shaped sign warning Reduced Speed Ahead to align with Memorial Day. This would urge us to take breaks and slow our lives down for the summer. An orange Detour sign with a black arrow would correspond to the 4th of July. It would encourage us to change our usual routines and take alternative routes to the beach, park, or swimming pool. For the month of August, a Fines Doubled in Work Zone sign would warn that we may end up paying a higher price in exhaustion, grumpiness, and other disturbances if we don’t take breaks.

If we etched signs like these into our thinking, they could help us improve the quality and quantity of our breaks all year.

SIGNS FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS

MORE INSPIRATION FOR TAKING SUMMER BREAKS

Reading articles that advocate summer breaks may inspire us to make time and take them. Three from our newsletter archive come to mind: May Our Thoughts Be With Us corresponds with Memorial Day’s reminder to slow down; Don’t Delay—Start Doing Nothing Today illustrates how the 4th of July might prompt us to detour from habitual routines; and Rest Is Not Idleness reflects August’s reminder to use breaks and avoid penalties.

SUSTAINING THE PLEASURES OF SUMMER BREAKS

By Labor Day we hope the road construction will be completed, though it rarely is. But the detours may have revealed better routes, and slowing down offered good practice for safe driving.

Labor Day’s corresponding sign might follow a regulatory format—a white vertical rectangle with black lettering saying Don’t Resume Usual Speed. If posted in a prominent location, we would be consistently reminded to abide by its direction and enjoy the benefits.

There are other leading-edge approaches for building health by sustaining leisure and breaks throughout the year. You can boost your knowledge of them and other advanced topics by contacting us and finding out more. At a minimum, you’ll never view a road sign in the same way again

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems
Lead Expert for the High Health Network

Photo by Pixabay

 “One cannot rest except after steady practice.”—George Ade

Sincerely,

Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems