How to de-stress while on vacation, Part 4

Hang out with your nieces. Aren't they cute? How can you be stressed when confronted by the sheer adorableness of these two?

It doesn't take much to amuse them. Being outside is fun. Take a zen lesson from the nieces: Go outside in the sun and look at all the beauty of nature. Look for fun things to play with. Sticks, branches ....

or large rocks. Didn't you know? Climbing "mountains" is fun. It's also fun to use your aunt later to climb on, just like you did this huge boulder. Aunties = jungle gyms, don't you know? [Only with prior parental approval though.]Who knows what is going on in Ms. Elle's head as she looks at this leaf or flower? Perhaps she's trying to articulate the cure to cancer that's she's discovered. That girl has wonders going on in her head that the rest of us only wish we could know. How to de-stress: be comfortable with your own thoughts.Elle also has a wicked sense of humor, adventure, and fearlessness that we should all emulate. Lesson from Elle: Discover new things with all of your senses and don't care what you end up looking like. (What's yellow and red and a mess all over? Elle after a meal.)Ms. Amber is also usually quite active. Being active is a way to de-stress. (How did I manage to catch this glimpse of momentarily stillness? Oh, wait! She's not moving, but she is talking a mile a minute!)Another way to de-stress is cuddles -- cuddles with aunties; cuddles with mama; and/or cuddles with grandmas. Grandmas are fun to climb on too. Silly grandmas. Other things the nieces taught me? Princesses don't have stress. They are the rulers and are free of such silly things. Act like a Princess all the time and you won't have stress.When that doesn't work, try some deep reflection upon your inner self. (Silly Elle, I knew about Glass Meditation from my bosom friend Anne Shirley and Anne of Green Gables. I can't wait to share that book with you.)If that still doesn't work, the girls say that exercise is key. Try running and chasing your sister and cousin, and then running some more.

See! No stress.