Find Your Escape

Americans living in busy cities are caught in a vicious lifestyle filled with sleep deprived nights, fast food, stressful work schedules, and a lack of exercise leading to dangerous health issues and a depreciation for the human life. The dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to and for many American’s, the typical 9-5 workday is a thing of the past.
Fire ants crawl into the night as they line both sides of the highway during rush hour. Men and women retire from their jobs shortly after the sun sets to complete a day’s work. The honking of horns by aggressive drivers drowns out the fuzzy radio station that speaks of war and terror. People who live in the cities that make up the Triangle in central North Carolina know just what it is like to live this type of lifestyle. The community is overcrowded with busybody struggling to get ahead in the fast-paced, money-driven culture. Fast cars, fancy restaurants and electronics glued to their ears, are a common scene in a late afternoon smog filled drive through the suburbs of Raleigh, in the surrounding towns of Cary and Morrisville. For many, this is a busy yet comfortable lifestyle that allows people to fulfill their personal needs of success, fortune, and progress.

This fast-paced, stressful lifestyle is killing the hard workers of America. A demanding work schedule and activity filled lifestyle leads to an unhealthy dose of stress, high blood pressure and strain on the heart. People are spending more time in the office or on the go and less time in the gym, outdoors and cooking healthy meals in their kitchens. Downtime is spent sprawled out on the sofa in front of the television because these individuals are too mentally exhausted to engage in physical activity. It is important to not lose sight of the important things in life. These "Busy Backsons" must find their escape from their demanding lifestyles so their bodies do not become overworked. There are many of places in the world that offer such a slower paced lifestyle filled with healthier, happier citizens.

In a place far away from all of the hustle and bustle lies a quiet tropical village where everyone knows each other by their first name. A warm breeze flows through the palm trees year round as many of the natives support their living by working outside. Relaxation is a virtue and progress takes a back seat to activities of leisure. The Aloha spirit runs deep in the souls of individuals living in the southern region of Maui. Lahaina is a small town that overlooks a clear shallow water harbor. In the hours just before dusk, the sun peers through the waves crashing on the breakwall just behind the village park. The surfers with their cinnamon colored skin compete with the inevitable sunset for that last perfect ride of the day. Spinner dolphins often cruise the bow of the fishing charters as they make their way to the open ocean. Tourists equipped with their pricey cameras and sunblock gaze in awe as they cruise the shops of the boardwalk. The natives can spot a “haole” or American from a mile away. They are like lost sheep wandering aimlessly around with their pale white skin and overgrown bellies. These people, who are the products of the "Busy Backson" American society, are very important economical assets to the small villages and towns throughout the island of Maui, but would certainly be lost in this slower paced lifestyle without their fast cars, busy schedules and expensive boutiques.

People have always managed to adapt to their surroundings and the lifestyles that govern their society. However, the city life is becoming a dangerous place for these multi-tasking workers. They key to finding success and happiness is to find an escape from the “Busy Backson” society; a place where everything moves at a slower pace and the mind, body and soul can unwind.

*"Busy Backson" - see "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff