Health Outside of the City

Do you sometimes forget what grass smells like, or how birds sound?

I just got back from my martial arts school's annual weekend retreat, somewhere upstate, in the mountains. I screeched when a chipmunk crossed my path because I thought it was a rat and I woke up to the sounds of a woodpecker, thinking that it was noise from a construction site. I guess I was overdue for a vacation from the city.

We trained outdoors and started the mornings with meditation by a lake. It was definitely a far cry from Chinatown, where I live. No awful odors of decaying fish and sewage from the grates. No crowds of tourists and no salespeople harassing you every ten feet to buy their fake Prada, Gucci and Louie handbags.

Wherever you may live, it is always great to get away, explore new territory or towns. Breathe in fresh oxygen and reconnect with nature. So take time to get away and be yourself. Your work and your worries will be home waiting for you, if you want them to be.