I have been and remain on vacation and in a word, yes, it is glorious. In doing a bit of research on vacation, I found out that our modern understanding of vacation has a lot to do with....Methodists??!!?? Say, what???
Yep, my home team of religious order, the United Methodists, were instrumental in the evolution of the concept of vacation. So, "put that in your pipe and smoke it, Presbyterians!"
Used to be that persons labored long hours, six days a week and on the seventh day spent a good deal of time in church where they were sermonized on idleness being the devil's handmaiden and were drilled on maintainence of that pesky protestant work ethic.
However, in the mid to late 19th century, docs begin saying that working too hard is not good for one's overall health and a popular ailment was referred to as persons suffering from "brain fatigue." At this moment, you guessed it, the Methodist clergy (we didn't add "United" unitil 1968) also start to preach on the virtues of rest and Sabbath and the Methodist campgrounds primarily used for revivals, begin adding a relaxation type atmosphere and promoting themselves as a place for persons to vacation without the temptations of alochol and carousing. NOTE: Not all Methodists favor this mode of vacationing....just saying. Furthering the "birth of the vacation," is the advent of the railroad that makes it easy for persons to travel long distances and along the coasts and various waterfronts resorts spring up (pun intended). Hence, the modern understanding of vacation that has been honored by innumerable persons from woods to waves!
Speaking of, it always shocks me the number of persons who do not use all their vacation days. By all means, use those days! Even if you don't go away to mountatins or waters, do spend time away from the office, lounge on your porch, drive the country roads, read as many books or watch as many movies as you can, just rest, go on bike rides, go to ball games, go to the woods and hike....just rest and renew.
All that said, if you've taken or are planning on taking a vacation this year...thank a Methodist! I'm raising a glass to one right now from my beach chair!
sj;