Vacation Notice: The Joys Of Disconnecting

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The Jewish holiday of Sukkos begins tonight. There won’t be any site updates or comments published until the intermediate days begin on Saturday evening and posting will be sporadic until the end of Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, with regular posting resuming on October 27th.

When I posted a vacation notice over a previous Rosh Hashana, a reader emailed me saying,

Dan,

Not only am I not observant I am not even Jewish.

I have to tell you I have known many observant people during my life. Only since I have been reading your blog have I actually appreciated the sacrifices made by truly observant people.

More power to you.

No matter what the power that be is, he or she, has to appreciate everyone’s faith and those who truly take their faith to heart.

Thank you for enlightening me about your faith and travel ideas.

I always love getting a kind email, but I don’t view observant life as a sacrifice at all, though I can see how it might look that way from the outside. Every aspect of it is ultimately rewarding.

Sure, some parts are challenging, especially when it comes to traveling. But I’ve checked off some awesome bucket list items from snowmobiling among polar bears in the Arctic, to dogsledding with Iditarod huskies on Alaskan glaciers and kayaking with penguins in Antarctica, and from scuba diving among sharks in the Maldives to snorkeling with millions of jellyfish in Palau, all while feasting on gourmet kosher meals. Nothing is impossible if you decide that you want to make it happen! 🙂

These holidays, which are spent far away from the constant noise and distractions from devices that were ostensibly designed to make our lives easier, are the most enjoyable of all. It’s good quality family time that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else on this planet. It’s a forced disconnect period from all of the noise of the world and it’s wonderful.

For anyone who doesn’t already disconnect, take a day or 2 and turn off your phone and focus on spending quality time with your family without the distractions of your tech devices. You might just make a weekly tradition like I do. 😉

For those celebrating Sukkos, enjoy the holiday!

-Dan and JJ