What do you do to "rest".

[430752]

Rest? Rest is what you do when you die. Otherwise, a successful life is work. Work at your employment, work at raising kids, work at your hobbies, work at love, work, work, work....

But I do agree that once in a while I like to turn my brain off. For me, that's either going out on the deck with a cigar and drinks and listeninig to a baseball game on an old fashioned am radio (they sound better that way), or watching a movie. I wish reading did it for me, and when I take the rare vacation I read, but otherwise I find it too slow to have the desired effect, and can't get into it as quickly. But this probably has more to do with my job involving reading all the time than a commentary on how americans are illiterate.

[dbhost]

LOML and I love to travel, Mexico has been one of our favorite destinations, but with the recent increase in drug cartel violence, I think the Mexican nationals that we like to visit might want to come to Houston instead...

Generally speaking, say if I get a 3 day weekend, and some travel money, LOML and I will pack the truck up with camping gear, and find a nice quiet spot, usually along a lake somewhere. My favorites in Texas are...

For "car camping" where you drive to it with all your gear, Lake Texana, and Lake Somerville Birch Creek Unit.

For dragging a rented RV, we like to go to Padre Island National Seashore.

For getting to the campsite via canoe we like Sea Rim State Park, unfortunately since Hurricane Rita it has been clobbered. I can't imagine Ike did it any favors...

For Backpacking, either Lake Somerville trailway, or anywhere along the Lone Star Trail.

As soon as both of us are in good enough shape, we want to go to Arizona and hike the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon.

[crokett]

I have a hard time sitting down and not doing anything. If I am sitting I most likely have my laptop in my lap and I am doing something comuter related or other. When I am not working I would rather stay home and work on the house or in my shop.

[jrnewhall]

Fly fishing - half to full day available
Shop time - a few hours available
yoga or long walk 1 or 2 hours

~JRN

[Hellrazor]

I have a hard time sitting down and not doing anything. If I am sitting I most likely have my laptop in my lap and I am doing something comuter related or other. When I am not working I would rather stay home and work on the house or in my shop.

I have Croketts syndrome too, I can't sit completely still. It doesn't help I am on call 24/7/365 either.

Everyone said I was crazy for taking vacation then helping other people frame garages, decks, additions, roofing, etc. If I went to the cabin to get away, all of my tools went along and I would spend the time fixing things or cutting wood.

The last 2 years I bought season tickets to the local ECHL level pro hockey team. 36 home games to go veg at.

[Russianwolf]

If I really need a rest (and right now, I do) I make an appointment to go get a massage. After that, I just try to relax for a while and let my body recover. getting a nap usually isn't too difficult afterward either.

[cabinetman]

No one on their death bed ever said "I should have spent more time in the office". I'll say one thing, after walking around in sawdust every day, I don't come home and do woodworking to relax.

What does relax me is sitting at my computer bumping around the forum, with one of our kitties curled up in my lap just purring away.
.

[jking]

Fly fishing - half to full day available
Shop time - a few hours available
yoga or long walk 1 or 2 hours

~JRN

I have a hard time sitting at home & not doing something. I enjoy taking a day here & there to work in the shop, tend the vegetable garden, etc. But, when I really need to take some time for myself, a friend & I will meet up & go flyfishing for a weekend. Depending on where we go, the drive might be anywhere from 4 - 10 hours each direction. At the end, I may be a bit "tired", but, I am certainly "rested".

[leehljp]

I think I am seeing a distinction here - it is still general but weighted enough to draw some over all conclusions:

• Age 50/55+ people like to rest by doing nothing, sitting reading, puttering around the shop, makings something that is not demanding;

• under 50 - need to do something, go somewhere, be active, the mind not yet full!

In my younger days up to around 50/55, my mind was always active, even when trying to go to sleep; couldn't sit still, had to be doing something. But I slowed down - in that respect from my mid 50's. (I still enjoy uncrowded extreme roller coaster theme parks.)

Besides aging itself, I think it had something to do with kids going off to college and leaving home - at which time I was able to immerse myself in my work more . . . and becoming more tired from 6 to 7 days a week of longer hours of work. After a while, the body just has to rest and the mind has to clear the slate, so to speak.