Vacation lessons

I just got home from our summer vacation on the Shore and when I picture my summer vacation, I picture myself sitting on the porch in a wicker rocking chair with my feet up reading the newspaper and sipping a cup of tea.

That routine won’t work in my “real” life. I would have to stop working myself and my kids would go to school half an hour late with no lunches and dirty faces. And since that can happen even when I am on duty, I have to think of other ways to bring that vacation mindset into “real life.”

I may not be able to while away the mornings over the New York Times but I should be able to find a time to take a break during the day. My friend Diane naps before dinner. I’m hoping I can find a few minutes to stretch out while the kids are doing homework and allow myself some down time without thinking about laundery and shopping lists.

My husband and I took daily walks on the beach on vacation and it made us feel like we were on our honeymoon. It’s funny because we see each other every day but between the daily chores and bill paying and errands to do, we rarely get to just chat. So I realized once again how important it to find those moments, whether it’s a date night or just a walk around the block together.

Our family tends to relax in front of the television at night. But while that’s fun too, it’s great to unplug and move your body around. This vacation also made me realize that I need to keep walking every day and find more time to do yoga and meditate. All of those things provide a small window of relaxation in a busy day.

We spent almost every day sitting on the beach and splashing in the water and that’s just not possible in our daily lives. But we can try to spend some times outdoor every day. With no TV at our beach house, they were out on their pogo sticks or skateboarding or riding their scooters through town. So we need to try to find time to play outdoors, whether that means shooting baskets or puttering in the garden.

Having vacationed with two other families and their children, I also realize how important it is to find time to be with friends. It brings more joy and laughter into our lives just to break bread or play games with other people. . Sometimes we get so busy that we forget that we don’t need a fancy dinner or a big party to see friends, we can just order out pizza and still have a great time enjoying each other’s company.

All of this is easier said than done in the daily frenzy of our lives. Even with the best of intentions, I know there willl be many days when there is no time to relax until 11 or 12 at night and that’s OK. But I hope I won’t forget to give myself a little vacation time when I can and to remember that work and school and paying bills is important but we also need to find time to play. And that’s what I learned on my summer vacation.

Photo of Ocean Grove from The Coaster