Derek is on vacation, but before he went on vacation, he wrote about it.  I (Veronica) want you to know that my vacations are nothing like his. I think I could learn a thing or two from his philosophy about really getting away from it all for a few days.

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You may wonder – or not – what a grant writer does on vacation? Do they tow their editor along with them? Are staff instructed to send out urgent messages about new RFA’s? Do they splurge on buying a dozen grant samples to read poolside whilst sipping umbrella-drinks?

While all of that sounds reasonable (unappealing) and must be considered (not for a second), the answer for this grant writer is NOT. No editor, no grant samples, no rfa’s or rfp’s, no laptop either (the only exception would be an umbrella drink).

For my Vac’s and Hol’s (Canadian lingo for vacation) I’m going to the mountains, to camp, in the wilderness, near a stream, in a valley, where coyotes howl and night and where Native Americans long ago lived and dropped the odd arrowhead to be found.

I am always a writer, so I will be taking along my latest Moleskines to write and sketch in, and books to read, “Elements of Style” (still trying to develop one) and perhaps a recreational book or two I am in the middle of reading. Of course I will bring a cooler with some cold beer, dry ice and food, sunscreen, a hat that I can only wear with dignity in such a solitary landscape, and several changes of clothes.

The high mountains in August are cool, clear, and the peacefulness of the environment is good for a writer’s soul. Days with no television or radio, the only human intrusion is the occasional truck going up the road and the odd jet flying overhead somewhere with angry flight attendants. They should really try soaking up what they’re zooming over sometime, just not when I am there please.

Yes, my batteries are going into the shop for recharging on my Vac’s and Hol’s. My brain will not be in neutral, it will shift into another gear less burdened by the cares of the world and more open to inspiration, listening for the spirit of the Creator in a place still fresh from His hand.

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