I'm at the Chautauqua Institute this week celebrating the 4th of July with my family. Well, with most of my family, and although I have been coming to Lake Chautauqua every summer, this is my first experience being totally immersed in the musical, spiritual and educational aspects of the Institute.

If you've never been (It is in upstate New York near Jamestown, about 30 minutes outside Erie, PA) I highly recommend considering a visit here in the near future.

The best, most renowned scholars and artists visit, study and perform here. Almost every hour you can seek out a lecture or listen to a student recital or professional concert of every genre. From religious to political, from farce to the classics, Chautauqua has the best of the best.

Today is my fourth day here and I've discovered that this time away has provided something other vacations do not - nourishment of the soul and mind.

We tell ourselves that we need to take time to smell the roses, to enjoy life to experience the new and different, yet, often life takes over and we are buried in the clutter of day-to-day. Even on vacations we are hurrying here and running off there. A vacation at the beach provides the do-nothing rest but without the intellectual learning. A trip to a museum or historic place stimulates the mind but rarely allows us the time to let what we've learned truly soak in and impact our lives.

Here at the Institute, I have found multiple opportunities to learn from those far wiser, to be swept away by the beauty of music and have the time to contemplate my navel - if I so desire.

Check out the Chautauqua Institute website. If it isn't possible to visit, then seek out opportunities in your own community to listen to a speaker who might challenge you to think outside your comfort zone. Look in your local paper for student recitals to attend - experience music not on your pre-set car radio stations.

I guarantee a few hours spent nourishing your soul and mind will refresh, relax and rejuvenate you.