PARKSVILLE - While not a Canadian holiday staple, Parksville and Qualicum Beach have lifted National Relaxation Day from their U.S. neighbours and planted it firmly on the shores of their oceanfront communities. It's ready to go on August 15.
"Call this a benefit of NAFTA, maybe think of it like borrowing the lawnmower from your neighbour, but we love the idea of National Relaxation Day, and there's no better place to bring it to, or celebrate it," said Parksville Mayor Chris Burger in a media release from the Oceanside Tourism Association (OTA), while dipping his toes in the sand and placid warm waters of his temporary "office" on the shores of Parksville Beach.
"When you think of kicking back and really relaxing - where and what do you think of? Commuting all day on scorching hot asphalt, or do you picture beaches, cool drinks, and the smell of sunscreen in the air? We've got the latter in abundance - so, we're a natural fit."
"When you go to your doctor they don't tell you: you need to work more, sleep less, and above all, make sure stress is a big part of your daily routine," said Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek.
Westbroek added while it seems out of character to annex National Relaxation Day from their friends to the south, when you look at what the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area has to offer, "you'll know we take relaxation seriously here, so there's no question where Canada's relaxation destination rightfully belongs."
Burger said being on *the Top Island in the Continental U.S. and Canada, with kilometres of the country's best sandy beaches, 18 provincial and regional parks, 6 golf courses, incredible spas, casual farmer's markets, and festivals, Parksville-Qualicum Beach is all about "a chilled out lifestyle," so it's only fitting that they become "the fulcrum of a relaxation resurgence."
But for those that truly want to test their inner relaxer, the communities have established their Top 5 Ways to Chill as a way of "giving back" after lifting National Relaxation Day. The mayors have also added a challenge: to see if one can try out any of these practices on National Relaxation Day without feeling totally relaxed.
To find out what those top five ways to chill are, visit the OTA.
— from the Oceanside Tourism Association