Lens-Artists Challenge #57 – Taking A Break

“The wise rest at least as hard as they work.”

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

ON THE ROCKS

Here in the U.S. we are in the heart of summer, which for many of us means it’s time to take a break and relax. Children are out of school and many families are in the midst of their hard-earned vacations, or at least a relaxing stay-cation. So let’s follow their lead and respond to this week’s challenge by showing how we and/or others “Take A Break”.

KIAWAH BEACH WALKER

“To be at rest is to be at peace.”

Lailah Gifty Akita

For many of us, summer vacation means a visit to the beach – beautifully illustrated last week by your responses to our seascapes/lakeshores challenge. Although that can sometimes mean fighting crowds, on Kiawah’s 10-mile beach (above) there is ample opportunity for a quiet moment of contemplation whatever the season.

BENCHED

“The first step towards true enlightenment is to lighten up on yourself.”

Bashar

There are so many ways to relax – obviously the beach is one of them. However, not every beach moment requires a chair and an umbrella 😊. In the image above, a young couple enjoys an impromptu picnic while watching the waves along the rocky Oregon coast.

HAVE A SEAT

“Stop…unplug…escape…enjoy.”

Fennel Hudson

Living in a beach community doesn’t necessarily mean spending all of one’s time by the sea. The scene above is actually part of our backyard. My husband and I often relax on our back deck and watch the birds working to capture their next meal.

UNDER SAIL

“Rest and repose are as much a part of life’s journeys as seeing all we came to see.”

Gina Greenlee

Nearby Charleston, SC has become a very popular vacation destination thanks to its many travel awards. In the image above, a three-masted schooner carries a number of tourists on their journey to visit Fort Sumter National Park, home of the first battle of the American Civil War. The fort is pictured off to the left of the boat.

CENTRAL PARK BREAK

“Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.”

Patti Digh

City dwellers also find creative ways to take a break. Boating on one of New York City’s Central Park waterways is a great way to relax during summer in the city. Most large cities have wonderful parks, perfect for enjoying a picnic, a swim, a bike ride or a simple walk in the woods.

ARTISTIC ENDEAVOR

“In the lap of nature we always feel relaxed.”

Uruj Shahid

Not a fan of athletically-oriented activities? How about picking up a paintbrush (or a camera 🙂!) and relaxing by capturing nature’s beauty? Don’t paint? How about listening to music or reading a good book? Meditation and yoga are both suggested as ways to slow down your heartbeat and improve your well-being. Any or all of those things can feed the soul and renew the spirit.

How many ways can you think of for getting away from the daily grind and finding peace? Show us your views on “taking a break” – Patti, Ann-Christine, Amy and I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Be sure to link your post here, and to TAG it Lens-Artists to appear in our WP Reader section.

Last week we asked you to share some of your favorite seascapes and lakeshores – see Amy’s original post here . Of course you responded with some wonderfully varied and beautiful scenery.

Have you seen these?

In her post here, Nurul shares an image of the lighthouse in Kadikoy, Turkey

Gracy shared images of Italy’s seascapes in her first Lens-Artists response here – welcome Gracy!

Viveka shares some of her many voyages around the world in her post here.

Alexandria of Simply Sage shares her love of the sea here.

Be sure to join us next week for Challenge #58 on Patti’s Pilotfish blog . If you’re new to Lens-Artists and would like to join us, click here for everything you need to know 😊.