Vacations are More Than a Break

There's nothing like a vacation to help re-frame a person's perspective on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My Magnificent Other (aka Bob) and I took 8 days away from our wonderful home base of San Diego. As fabulous as things are here (and they really are, too), a change of pace is a Good Thing.

Our first three and a half days were at Yosemite National Park, a place neither of us had ever been. The massiveness of the rocks, the water falls, and the giant Sequoiah trees coupled with the high elevation and the beauty of the park were almost more than words could describe or a camera could adequately capture. We thought about what life would be like living up in those mountains, particularly when we saw a UPS truck pass us going through the park. Bob assured me that I could still ship out my home study kits. I assured Bob that we weren't leaving the beach in San Diego so fast. His point was well taken, though. If we wanted to, I truly could do business from high in the hills as long as I had a decent internet connection. I do prefer the beach, which is where we'll be until further notice, I promise.

Our next three and a half days were in San Jose, an hour south of San Francisco. This is an annual trek we make the last weekend of September to a weekend-long reunion of people from an online chat room where Bob and I first met. About 50 people from far and wide gather from Thursday to Sunday to visit, eat, visit some more, eat some more, see the sites, and go to a street fair in San Franscisco on Sunday of the weekend. Did I mention that we eat? When I say from far and wide, that includes England, Hawaii, Alaska, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Seattle, the midwest, and more. Sometimes new people join us who are friends of friends. Over the years, we've become family even though we have limited contact throughout the year. It's pretty impossible to avoid discussing business when we do all get together.

What I've come to realize on this vacation is something that some big corporations discovered awhile ago. Sometimes the best ideas come from people who are in completely different industries than your own field. Our hosts at Yosemite (Bob's cousin and her husband) and our friends in San Jose not only had interest in purchasing some tips booklets. They also offered ideas about new and different markets. It was easy to discuss all of this in the relaxed settings of the vacation, with no to-do lists or other demands, and with people who enjoyed the brainstorming as much as I did.

We're looking forward to our next vacation, which will undoubtedly be another opportunity for some more new ideas about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I'm thinkin' Hawaii or the UK for the next jaunt.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com