Jack Yesner Week 11- Vacations and Gratitude

 Thankfully, the first semester of school is coming to an end in two weeks, and the great reward of a full two weeks off without having to worry about homework or tests is within sight. With such an extended amount of time off of school, a popular activity over winter break is to go on vacation. People go on stay-cations to nearby beach resorts, small vacations to nearby cities, or farther, larger-scale trips to luxurious destinations worldwide. Personally, I was never able to experience vacations over winter break. Even though I love the cold weather, my family does not, and we stuck to going on vacation during summer vacation. I longed to go on a winter vacation to a cold place and envied friends and classmates who were able to do so. This all changed, however, during winter break two years ago. My family began a new tradition where each year we would rent a house for a week, and then experience the surrounding area through both artificial experiences, such as walking around in the city, and natural experiences, such as taking a hike to a waterfall. In 2019, we went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and saw Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains, in 2020, we went to the small town of Seneca, South Carolina and saw the many natural wonders nearby, and this year we plan on going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina which has many carnival and amusement park type attractions to enjoy. I am fortunate enough to be able to go on these vacations and experience the world around me, but spending my precious break time in these places taught me a lesson about gratitude in my life.

When I used to spend winter break at home without going on a vacation, I desperately wanted to go on one. However, now that I go on vacations every year which take up a significant portion of my winter break, I desperately want to go back and have two full weeks off free of trips. Now that my high school life is so stressful and jam packed with events, having stress-free time off when there is nothing to do is sometimes better than being on a vacation. It takes being on that vacation and seeing what it is like on the other side to appreciate what you had before. I think this applies to other aspects of my life as well. Sometimes I feel like rushing life will be better, because I think that once I am working everything will be better. However, as every adult is desperate to let me know, I should enjoy my school years before the inescapable monotony of adult working life. As the first semester draws to an end, I look back and notice that I have rushed and sped through the first half of the year. I am thankful that one half of the stressful junior year is behind me, however I am also appreciative of the experience that I had and hope I can enjoy my high school years in the present, not look back at them from the future.

Do you like to go on vacation during winter break or prefer to stay home? Why is that?

10 Cheap Winter Vacations in the U.S. | Travel + Leisure

Comments

  1. AnonymousDec 5, 2021, 12:40:00 PM

    I like going on vacation. I am especially excited for this year as I didn't go anywhere last year because of covid. I also like the cold weather that we don't get in Florida.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDec 5, 2021, 9:33:00 PM

    I love going on vacation. Before COVID, my family and I would go to Israel every summer and spend time with my cousins and aunt and uncle there. When I lived in Chicago, Florida was always the vacation destination that we would visit during winter break, so now it feels like I am always on vacation now that I have moved.

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