Holidays are essential for workers in every department of life. They relieve us of mental worry. They bring back to us natural vigour cheerfulness. They enable us to resume our work with renewed zeal and energy. Rest is enjoyable when it follows hard and strenuous work and hard work becomes easy and enjoyable when it comes after holidays.
Holidays do not mean idleness. They do not mean sleeping smoking and gossiping. Idleness is not a thing of enjoyment. It is the root cause of all sins and evils. Wise men in all ages have condemned it. It is truly said, 'An idle man's brain is a devil's workshop.' An idle man always thinks of mischiefs.
Our holidays can be a source of enjoyment and recuperation if we make a careful plan as to how we intend to spend them. We must be busy in doing one thing or the other, otherwise time will hang heavy on our hands.
We may take long walks in the open both in the morning and evening. We may enjoy the scenes and sights of nature. We may sit and take rest for a while by the side of a canal or a murmuring brook. We may read some interesting book, say a biography of some great man, or a journal or a newspaper. We may do some writing work if we feel interested in it.
We may go to a hill station if we can afford and climb mountains. The climb of hills is bracing and invigorating. We may go for hiking if we have a companion after our heart. Going to a village on a pleasure trip by a townsman and to a city by a villager is a refreshing programme.
An inland dweller may go on a visit to the sea side and a sea side dweller may likewise take a trip to forests and hills. This is also a good item of recreation. We may go to a holiday-home and spend a couple of weeks there in the company of other people who are also holidaying like us. This will enable us to make many new contacts. A trip to a historical place like caves of Ajanta, Delhi. Agra or Udaipur may also be another attraction.
In conclusion, a wise selection of items of rest and recreation makes holidays bracing and stimulating. Holidays are not to be taken as opportunities for irresponsible relaxing and rest. Rest is rust. Holidays are only opportunities for changing over temporarily from hard, monotonous work or bread-earning to a period of light work and healthy recreation.
