When Tania returned from New York at the beginning of last year we decided that it was time that the two of us set a theme for ourselves. We live in a beautiful part of the world and people travel from all over the world to holiday here. After some serious thought we decided that we would live everyday as if it were a holiday. So our theme for 2014 (and now 2015) was “Every day is a holiday.”

So how does a couple who are both working full time live in such a way we can experience a holiday every day?  Well firstly we decided that we did not have to lie on the beach the entire day to have the holiday feel. What we did chose to do was appreciate the place we live in and do something at least once a day that a tourist would embark on, or that made us feel as if we were on holiday.

At first we thought that this would be a challenge for us. How does one fill the mundane everyday life with the experience of being on holida? To make sure we stuck to our theme we started documenting our “holiday” activities every day. After a few weeks we noticed that we were living as we set out, and during the course of everyday we experienced something that provided us with a holiday feel.  It could be something as simple as going for a walk along the pier after work, or watching the sun rise whilst having coffee on the beach. We travelled to nearby places after work all within 25km of home. We would have picnics along the river, or supper on the little bridge at Kiddies Beach. Sometimes we would just open a beer or two and put our feet up on the deck after work. It did not really matter to us what we did, the trick was to be aware of the sensation of having a holiday, even if it was only for half an hour. Our lives seemed far more relaxed, even in the face of difficulties, we were still able to step out of the proverbial rat race and see each other.

I truly believe that our “every day is a holiday” lifestyle,  has brought Tania and I even closer as a couple. We aim to spend a minimum of 15 hours together focused on each other each week. And we managed this rather comfortably. In fact we spend a lot more time than that engaged in conversation or in each other space every week. We cancelled our TV subscription months ago as we stopped watching TV. We will now go choose a good movie to watch on occasion and then we make an entire evening out of it. We sleep under the stars a lot, at home. There is something very special about watching the night sky and speaking to your soul mate until you can no longer keep your eyes open.   Then we wake up, pull the mattress back inside and get ready for work. It is like having a weekend in the middle of the week. We often have a cheese and wine evening together, or put the couch out on the front lawn and have a braai. Tania and I now live by our motto: “Every day is a holiday.”

I would encourage you all to find something that you can also do to experience the “holiday” life. The big part for us is that we get to live in the moment, and the more we do it the more often we get to live consciously. We learn to value each other more, to appreciate the beauty in the people and the things around us. We understand that we are both blessed and privileged to live the lives that we have. Living this way has made us see the value in the little things in life that are free, and these little things have become our big things. Things like our morning coffee together; the long walks on the beach; making meals for one another; or just sitting alongside each other in silence. I have reawakened my childlike wonder for life and it is good, in spite of all the trials and hardships and everyday routine that we face.

So tomorrow is Monday and I am ready, because in my life, every day is a holiday.