Holiday

Like many Americans I take mostly 3 and 4 day holidays.  I can't really call this time off a "vacation" because I have been brought up to view a vacation as a week or more.

For my parents vacations were not an issue.  Working in a factory there was a yearly shut-down where for two weeks the plant would close.  We would all load into the car and off we would go on a new adventure or to revisit a location of a past adventure.

In reading through the news today I found that Pope Benedict has come out and said in a recent speach, "We have to guard ourselves from the dangers of excessive activity, regardless of the office one holds, because too many concerns can often lead to hardness of heart.  "The pope went on to add, "This warning is valid for every type of job, even those concerned with the government of the church." 

Is this something new?  No, the pope quoted from the writings of St Bernard of Chiaravalle, who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries.  Pope Benedict noted that the saint had written to the pontiff of the times, Eugene III, warning him of the dangers of working too hard.  

The bottom line is too much work can be bad for you!  So, I'm taking St Bernard's advice, at least for four days, and heading off on a new adventure!