Last month, we asked you to nominate people who would benefit from time to disconnect but might not go on a Getaway on their own.
So many of you wrote in — over 650 — with stories of those you admire. It was a heartwarming reminder to me and the team of the specialness and strength of our individual communities.
We started off the month thinking we would give away one tiny cabin escape to a deserving nominee. After reading impassioned stories from across the country, we decided to up that number to eight – one for each of our Outposts. We were touched by the messages you sent us, including these:
“He is our community’s disaster relief person. He worked tirelessly for the past four months trying to help our town get their lives back in order after devastating floods in March of this year. He deserves a break.”
“My sister has worked in public education for over 20 years, supporting low-income middle school and high school students to access the best high schools and colleges they can. She goes above and beyond and supports alumni of her school — first generation college students — throughout their first years of college, a crucial time when many students are in danger of dropping out.”
“She is a human rights advocate and professional who just returned from a position in the Middle East. While her work is incredibly positive and serves to empower those to rebuild and provide relief to a war-torn nation, it’s taxing and often traumatic. It’s time for her to take time for herself the same level of care she offers selflessly to others.”
“I am nominating my mother because she is having an above-average stressful year and could use some time well spent with her family. Between working and taking care of her elderly parents, she has recently been taking care of my brother who has fallen ill. She always inspires me to be true to myself. She loves nature and I know it would be rejuvenating for her.“
“He works SO hard as a youth pastor and at his other full time job. He is always making time for everyone else, and it’s time he took a break for himself.”
“My brother moved home with me two years ago to help take care of our single mother who has had Parkinson’s Disease for over 10 years. We try to meditate together and do our best to be outside and work in our garden. It is not easy to do this as we do not have much time outside of work. I would love for him to get out and connect with himself in nature.“
“She is a special needs daycare teacher who goes above expectations to ensure that all of her children are afforded the inclusive early education they deserve. On a daycare worker’s salary, her hard work is undervalued and time for herself is limited. She deserves a Getaway to be celebrated the way she celebrates her children everyday.”
“For 8 weeks, and at least 50 hours a week, he led a camp of 240 inner city students. Any camp is tiresome, but as one could imagine, many of the students at this camp came in hungry, upset at violence happening in their neighborhood, tired and many other things. He took the time to invest in each child, hear their stories all while building up the 50 plus interns to lead their classes. They both love camping, and this would be the perfect getaway and a long but fulfilling summer.”
“He works SO hard as a youth pastor and at his other full time job. He is always making time for everyone else, and it’s time he took a break for himself! I know he would love being out in the outdoors like this.”
These are inspiring stories of people doing what they can to help their families and their communities.
When we talk about burning out, we often conjure the image of the evil, lurking boss — the one who demands another hour be clocked or another vacation spurned. There are bad bosses, absolutely. But many of us and those close to us burn ourselves out not only through our supervisors’ unreasonable demands but also our own deep dedication. The effort is admirable — but the side effects are often the same: too little time for mindfulness, self-care, and the opportunity to just be. That’s why I am so glad we can send the folks mentioned above on their own Getaways, on us. I wish we could do it for everyone.
In other news this month: we are officially open just two hours outside of LA. Getaway Big Bear is already delighting our Southern California friends with tiny cabins for their mindful escape. Coming up next: Getaway Piney Woods outside of Dallas, which just launched booking for this fall.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful September.
Be Well,
Jon Staff