Having just returned from a brief but wonderful vacation in Oregon, I find myself thinking about the concept of refueling.

I don't know why I would choose this metaphor. I know very little about cars. But it seems to me that we often take better care with our cars than we take with ourselves and our lives.

The question for this column is: How do you refuel yourself? It's easy enough to say, "I eat well; I sleep more-or-less regularly; and I exercise." Granted, these are important and necessary activities. Without them your body would stop functioning fairly quickly, just as your automobile would stop without fuel.

I know, however, that when I get my car serviced, they don't even think about the gas tank. They may change the oil, check my brakes, fiddle with the battery...

They are all considered regular maintenance issues in the care of an automobile. I wonder how often we consider the regular maintenance issues in the care of ourselves.

It was the content of my trip to Oregon that set me on this road. Among other things, we attended theatre in Ashland, enjoyed nature at Crater Lake, worked in some shopping and had wonderful meals. I came back with my intellect feeling refreshed -- as well as my spirits, my energy level and my sense of humor. These things are as necessary to the regular functioning of my being as oil and brake linings are to my car.

Yet, how often do we think of them? I would argue the typical two- or three-week vacation per year does not do all these things or have the intended effects that will extend throughout the rest of the year. I'm asking you, therefore, what you do on a regular basis to refresh your spirit, your faith, your fun, your mind...

You would think that in a more-or-less rural university town like Davis -- located only an hour from the mountains and an hour from a major cultural center -- this would not be such a difficult question. However, I am much more likely to take Interstate 80 to anywhere I need to go, rather than the somewhat longer, but much more beautiful and refreshing State Route 128, so that I can stop at Berryessa.

I attend events at the Mondavi Center, but I find I tend to choose performances that are familiar to me. I also find that I'm often too caught up in my everyday activities, thoughts, gossip and complaints to enjoy what's right in front of me when I do see it.

There must be a psychological element to vacations -- some sort of, perhaps unconscious, decision to set aside the daily cares, concerns and rituals. It's a mindset that allows us to renew and refresh ourselves with sights and experiences that actually exist not far from our front door on a daily basis. This refreshment and renewal does not require months of planning, a large outlay of money or an escape to a totally different location. There are ways that we can -- on a daily, weekly or monthly basis -- set aside our daily cares and set aside our daily rituals to renew and refuel our spirits, emotions, faith and energy.

If you would like to talk more about refueling or finding ways to refuel, give us a call at (530) 752-2727 or come by our offices in the Guilbert House, located across A Street from Voorhies Hall.