being alone

I realized today that I do not know how to be on vacation and relax. I know how to be on vacation and walk an entire country. I know how to climb hundreds of stairs at Cinque Terre along the Italian Riviera. I know how to  dive in the Red Sea, have tea with the locals in Bentota, Sri Lanka, and follow a winding path in Petra to see God's own artwork.

Basically, I know how to have all my time pretty much mapped out for me, but I don't know how to do nothing. I am not sure that I like doing nothing. Lounging on the beach  is great, but I can do that for only so long. I think this is the part where loneliness sets in for me. I am visiting friends, but they have their own to-do lists because it is not vacation time for them.

I know how to be alone, but I do not want to be alone. A revelation. A reality.