Attention, those of you in the rat race: Here's a rat study that's all about you!
It ran in our July 2006 issue, in a story by MH stalwart Jim Thornton, all about a road trip he and his brother took, to jumpstart their lives. But the road trip itself needed to be jumpstarted, and because Jim is a terrific science reporter, it figures that his peregrinations were prompted by Big Science.
As Jim mutely stared at his TV set one day in his youth, a program about rat brains flickered into his consciousness. He could totally identify, as can most of us, right?
The rats in question, like the members of your high school class, were randomly divided into three groups: The first rat contingent was herded into an "impoverished" environment--a tiny space with no toys or opportunities for exploration.
Rat Pack II had "standard" space, but still no toys.
Rat Pack III were like Deano, Sammy, and Frank, in an "enriched environment" with lots of rat rumpus room to explore and a full arsenal of amusements.
(Related: 5 Places That Will Boost Your Creativity.)
After a month, all of the study participants were killed, which may well be what your HR department is planning, as well. But when scientists plucked out the rat brains to study, they were agog: Rat Pack III, evidently responding to the rich environment, had thicker brain cortexes (better decision making), increased neuron size (faster thinking, more sensation), and many more branching brain connections (smarter).
OK, none of the rats were so smart that they dodged the research knife, but they did enjoy the experiment while it lasted.
The rats didn't have a choice of cages. But you and I do. Oh yes, we do.
Too often, however, we mistake the implied walls of our existence for real brick and mortar. We regard our jobs, our schedules, the fact that the lawn needs mowing and the TV series require binge-watching as real impediments to free movement.
So we settle for "impoverished" or "standard" living experiences, when in fact we're entitled to an "enriched" environment. We only have to demand the upgrade.
But we do share one important thing with the rats: The Big Scientist in the Sky will indeed harvest our brains, sometime or another. Will our deceased cranium be empty as a Kardashian smile, or brimming like an Upton brassiere?
Seize the DD-cup!
If we want to live like MENSA-level mice, we have to emulate Rat Pack III. And the best way to do that is to hit the road, as Thornton demonstrated.
He did it for an entire summer, and if you can swing that, stop by and pick me up on the way.
(Related: 20 Guy Trips That Will Change Your Life.)
Failing that, there are all sorts of escapes possible--for a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon (who'd guess you'd be playing hooky then?), for a weekend that begins on Friday after work and ends when you drive all night to the office on Monday morning, or for the full two weeks you can probably get away with if you only dare to request it.
The latter has been my annual indulgence, since my kids were old enough to really be aware of their surroundings. I now count those family escapes--to the Grand Tetons, to the National Parks of the Southwest, to Paris, to Yosemite, to Mount Desert Island in Maine--as seminal moments of my adult life.
I'm not a lab rat, but I am an expert in enriched environments, because I've sought them out with such determination. After my trip to Nice, France, last summer, my brain cortex became so thick I had to expand my adjustable Cubs hat two clicks!
Or who knows, maybe it's a brain tumor.
In any case, I want to encourage your cortex, as well, so I'm presenting my five rules for summer travel. Obey them all. Especially number five.
The harvester is coming! Escape while you still can!
RULE #1: You must travel
Jim Petrick, Ph.D., a professor in Texas A&M's department of recreation, park, and tourism science told me that "travel brings enormous benefits--in relationship, in education, for your health. Doctors ought to prescribe it."
Screw the Rx. I'm telling you to go right now.
RULE #2: Plan in advance
Because anticipation is everything. The longer you have to look forward to a trip, the longer you'll be enjoying it.
My countdown to this summer's revelry--in Boulder, Colorado--is at 32 days right now. Which means I'm already there, in my imagination. My branching brain connections are standing ankle deep in Boulder Creek. Chilly!
RULE #3: Be spontaneous
Here's a test: Your friend calls at 11AM and says his boss gave him four tickets to the afternoon game. That afternoon. What do you do?
A. Summon the stone to beg your boss' indulgence for an afternoon of hooky, or B. Quietly accept the inevitability of death.
(Answer key: A= 1 big frosty beer; B= Pray there's an afterlife.)
RULE #4: See it now, before it's too late
Two years ago, I went trekking in Nepal, and hiked into the Himalayan village of Kyangin Gompa. One month ago, the town was buried by an earthquake-triggered landslide.
I'm not just blowing smoke about the Harvester. He's real. So is your deadline to act.
(Read more about Peter's Life Lessons From the Nepal Earthquake.)
RULE #5: Duh. There are no rules
This isn't a tax return, it's summer for cripesakes. Who needs a bunch of rules to drag us down?
Not you, not me, not that little gnome who used to travel the globe for Expedia. And that includes whatever self-written or unwritten rules that are locking you in your impoverished environment (i.e. reading this on the web), when you ought to be scanning AirBnb.com for tree houses to rent.
Get this: There are 13 of them, all around the world. A tree house in a national park in Spain will cost you $34 a night. The one on Kilauea--an erupting Hawaiian volcano!--is a little steeper, at $275 a night.
You're staying home, why? Back to Rule #1!
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