Relaxation, Reflection and Renewal

Martha and I recently returned from a forty-day vacation to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary! We called our trip “Forty for Forty.” We concocted this idea 9 months ago after getting inspired about taking a road trip during the summer.

We considered a two-week vacation, but that was too short. I suggested a three-week trip, but that also seemed constraining. One of us blurted out, “40 days!” We were way outside the box and we were excited!

Now, the question was, where to go? We pulled out our atlas and opened it to the map of the United States. Almost immediately, we wanted to return to the Black Hills of South Dakota where we went on a camping trip with our children years ago. Just east of the Black Hills are the Badlands; just west is Devil’s Tower.

As we scanned the map, we saw Little Big Horn in southeastern Montana, the Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in northwestern Wyoming and Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana. During the winter and spring months, Martha and I worked together to reserve campground spots, to book rooms at the national park lodges and to contact friends and family to see along the way. We rented a car in Chicago and booked a train home from West Glacier, Montana.

Creating and planning this trip was a lot of fun. Once we got on the road, Martha and I made a daily practice of reflecting on each year of our marriage, where we lived, what we had accomplished and what challenges we had faced. At the end of every day, we reflected on that day, what we did, the fun we had had and some of the problems we’d encountered.

Across Nebraska into South Dakota and Wyoming, Martha and I listened to Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown, which chronicles the Indian Wars from 1860 to 1890. In the evenings we watched Ken Burns DVD series on America’s National Parks on our laptop computer. Martha and I had many conversations, reflecting on the history and beauty of our country and also that of our marriage.

We inspired many people when told them of our forty-day trip to celebrate our forty-year marriage. We also inspired ourselves. We are already talking about future trips with each other and with friends and family. After forty days of relaxation and reflection, Martha and I have returned to our home and lives in Roslindale renewed, ready to jump back into our busy lives and excited about future adventures.

Posted in Partnership Marriage