Written by Break at Huntington Lake!
For the past ~15 years I have had a small group of friends come up to Huntington lake and our family cabin for a week of rest & relaxation in early fall (usually late Sept, early Oct). This last trip was excellent; was able to rest my mind and body, while feeding my soul with the serenity the mountain setting and air brings.
Reading, light bantering, eating a lot of terrific food and playing lots of cornhole on the deck (getting my daily quota of steps in and then some) was very much the daily routine. I also got my daily pushups in and one day took a solo walk out to the lakebed–the water is lowered this time of year as to make room for the forthcoming snow. On this walk I attempted to jump across a muddy lakebed crevice and slipped deeply into some mud; oh well, muddy shoes and such but worth it! The sun was beginning to set and there was something about the solitude that brought me great comfort and contentment in that moment.
I also got some kata practice in on the deck. My friends watched with curiosity and of course made some snide comments that I should have stuck with ballet (never did ballet but you know how “good” friends can be at times), but also afterward said it was pretty cool (especially my demonstration of Kusanku).
I do not like missing my karate classes but I do realize having the break in terms of change of scenery, routine and just having some good times with my friends is very important. It helps to mentally and physically recharge and as such helps me to be even more focused in my black belt training.