To the Editor:

I need a vacation. How many times have you heard someone say that? How many times have you said that?

What does vacation really mean to you? Does two weeks of vacation from work look the same from year to year? What’s a summer vacation? A European vacation? A stay-cation?

Does spring break equal vacation? Is a road trip a vacation? Or, is a long weekend in the vacation category? Vacations ultimately come down to relax time, doing the opposite of what you do every day.

Vacations start with dreams. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then vacation is in the eye of the dreamer. Vacation dreams juggle fantasies and bucket lists.

Sometimes they intertwine but the choice will always be a statement by the dreamer. The tug of faraway places can be every bit as powerful as the welcoming warmth of your comfy couch cushion.

Vacations don’t happen by themselves. They take planning and preparation. Visas and passports might be necessary or maybe a two-week supply of frozen pizza is in the grand plan.

Getting ready is a major start to all vacations. Planning attempts to eliminate future negative obstacles and insure smooth sailing. If your plan is thorough, you’ll probably have a great time. Plans with no prep are doomed.

My vacation dreams dwell in the realms of high adventure. Jungles, high mountains, temples, and castles live in compartments of my brain ready to crystallize into my next foray.

No one is spared. Family and friends have been sold on my convincing stories of magnificent vistas and magical moments. And away we go!

My daughter has tagged me as an adrenalin junkie, but I don’t get it. What’s wrong with walking with big cats or even bigger snakes? What’s wrong with 16,000 feet elevation? I love tall waterfalls and even taller pagodas. The compartments in my brain throb all the time, not like torture, but more like life essence.

Pity the person who doesn’t dream. I envy the person who acts on his or her dreams. Between you and me, I need a vacation.

Tony Falese

Westerlo