Kristen Hamling: Take time to enjoy the journey of life

NEW Zealand has certainly been good for my capacity to stop and "smell" the silver fern.

For instance, yesterday my family and I were travelling back from the Coromandel and, during the trip home, we allowed ourselves to become distracted.

Instead of doggedly setting sail for Whanganui, aiming to get home for dinner, we took in the beauty around us. When we noticed a beautiful stream by the side of the highway we stopped and swam in it.

When we saw an icecream shop, we thought - "What the heck, you only live once." We stopped again, thinking we will make it home eventually.

I even drove 100 metres or so past a sign that said "Christmas Tree Farm", then stopped the car and drove back to find it.

This is not my usual style. I never go back - once we are en route, we are en route. We have to keep going and not stop until we get there.

But I am glad we did go back and find the Christmas tree farm where we were able to pick out our Christmas tree, right out of the ground. Attached to the farm was a shop where the boys could write and post a letter to Santa, and select one Christmas ornament each. Total cost $45 - happy Christmas already.

The final stop was at Lake Taupo at 7pm. It was one of the most beautiful evenings that I have experienced at Lake Taupo.

The sun was pumping out some warm rays while we had our fish and chips by the lake. As the sun set I took some amazing photos of my kids swimming with swans gliding around them and a sailboat drifting by in the distance.

We put the boys in their PJs and set off for home, getting in around 11.30pm.

As I am prone to distraction, and usually not of the productive kind, it is strange to find myself advocating that others become distracted. However, I am not advocating mindless distraction - more like strategic distraction.

When one is strategically distracted, you are allowing yourself to notice what is happening around you and you stop to take it in. If I reflect back over all my travels, some of my most favourite experiences were the ones that were unplanned.

If you set your sails in life for planned events and don't stop until you get there, then you are going to miss out on a heck of a lot.

Allow yourself some strategic distractions every now and then; the surprises are likely to become some of your best memories.

-A registered psychologist with a masters in applied psychology, Whanganui mother-of-two Kristen Hamling is studying for a PhD in wellbeing at Auckland University of Technology.