I was fortunate enough to have found another time to escape for a short-day trip during spring planting season. That is truly the busiest time of the year. Some might call it procrastination and they could be partially right.
Taking a break sounded wonderful especially for my right shoulder that was beginning to really get painful. A true sign of overwork.
This particular place was actually on my calendar to visit once planting was complete. A little reward but also a time to relax and breathe. The long-range forecast was calling for rain and downright cold for this time of year. This day however was sunny and cooler. It was time to seize this opportunity despite being overly busy. I decided to bump up our day trip to today.
This meant in theory at least that I would have to work harder tomorrow to meet the same goals I had previously set for myself. And what’s more, if I couldn’t get it all accomplished I would have to be satisfied with the outcome by focusing on what I was able to accomplish.
A DAY TRIP DURING OUR BUSIEST TIME
SARATOGA MONUMENT
With that understanding we went ahead and visited the Saratoga Monument and cemetery. It is part of the Saratoga National Historical Park. This is the place where the British surrendered in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War for Independence. It was a pivotal time in history. The colonies were freed from British rule giving the people of the United States of America rights as written in the Declaration of Independence.
The monument was built of granite stone and completed in 1883. It takes the form of an obelisk. For those unfamiliar, an obelisk is a tall four-sided shaft of stone that gradually tapers as it rises and resembles a pyramid. It stands 155 feet tall with a stairway inside. The staircase of 188 steps leads to the top where you can gaze for miles over the picturesque farmland and mountain vistas.
GERALD B.H. SOLOMON SARATOGA NATIONAL CEMETERY
The adjacent cemetery is New York State’s sixth national veteran’s cemetery. At full capacity the 351 acre site has space for 175,000 veterans plus eligible dependents. The Saratoga National Cemetery in 2002 was renamed to the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. President George W. Bush felt that Congressmen Solomon was instrumental in creating veteran’s organizations such as the Department of Veterans Affairs along with this very national cemetery and wanted to honor him.
The cemetery was nicely laid out with old growth trees and park benches along the way for walkers like us to take a break and enjoy the sunshine. And while we didn’t read every single old tombstone what we did take note of is that even back then people lived long lives. This goes contrary to what I learnt growing up.
So, even though you may be having very busy days, remember to periodically step aside for just a few hours as we did today to rest and reset. You will awake fresh and clear in the morning ready for a full day’s work.