Is Paradise Really Lost?

Every day we have an opportunity to keep busy and add stress to our lives.  The hustle and bustle of every day living is enough to make you crazy if you don't breathe.  As the old saying goes, take time to stop and smell the roses.  That is the trick, taking the time to actually stop and smell the roses.

In theory we go on vacation to escape everyday life and go to "Paradise".  I use the word "Paradise" because it is an image we can all relate to.  It is that perfect place where we don't have a care in the world, we look our best, eat well and everything just works out right.   There are multi-billion dollar industries designed to make you think they are helping you get to paradise.  

The entire travel industry, and most of the entertainment industry are built on this premise.  

The problem is horror movies and for some people three hour lines at Disneyland become the "anti-Paradise".  I would rather work than see a horror movie, and my step dad would rather work than go to any Disney park.  Golf is a wonderful memory for me.  I learned to play with both of my grandfathers.  The golf course should be paradise to me.  Instead, the first ball hits the water, and paradise is lost.

Starbucks has created a billion dollar business by being your "third place".   The third place isn't home and isn't work, it is a simple escape where you leave the pressure of life behind.  The first time you went in, you probably thought, "What a great place." ordered a beverage and really soaked up the place.  It was a short trip to paradise.  On each of the following visits your trip to paradise got shorter and going to Starbucks became a habit.  Look around the next time you go and see how many people are getting anything from their escape other than a cup full of liquid and a bag full of calories.

In the US, this is our way of life.  We don't take it in, we just take it to go.

This isn't to say that Starbucks doesn't have great beverages and a great business.  Just look at the lines at any airport.  In Dallas there is a place where you can stand and see three Starbucks locations, and I have seen a line at all three at the same time.

I have a good friend who I used to meet at Starbucks on a somewhat regular basis.  We talked about everything under the sun.  As I started losing weight we moved the conversations to Subway and Starbucks lost it's appeal.  I still drink their iced tea on the road because it is great tea, not because I am looking for a little escape.  After all how can I escape at the airport when they don't even have seats at the Starbucks?

We all have some places where the essence of paradise isn't lost.  It might be a commercial place like Disneyland or it might be Yellowstone Park in the wintertime.  For me, the beach is one of them.  I don't ruin it by making a big trip to the beach with tents, and BBQ's and all of that stuff.  While all of that stuff can make for a great family picnic, the stress of getting it all there, hoping everything works and taking it down takes away from the pure essence of paradise.

When I go to the beach, a chair, towel, wetsuit and surfboard are my limit.  I can walk, bike or drive with this stuff depending on the mood I am in.  I know better than to damage my paradise.