Vacation

Vacations are wonderful things, if you can get them. Time away from your world, adventuring or relaxing, is good for the spirit. Refreshes the soul, those vacations, and helps us get through the tough times. Even if you just get a couple of days to laze around in bed and sleep all you need.

When I actually get a vacation.

Mamas don't actually get to have vacations. We are never truly "off" the clock in motherhood. That's just the way it is. If my family and I decide to go somewhere, I am the one who is responsible for getting my son's suitcase packed in addition to my own. Sometimes I also get to pack my husband's suitcase as well. We probably wouldn't be going on the trip if I hadn't booked it, and I am the one responsible for remembering to put all the passports in my purse, as well as the plane tickets and hotel reservations. If we are driving, I am usually the one packing the car the night before, or putting what we need to take next to the door so it doesn't get left behind. Once we arrive, I am the one who usually keeps track of the itinerary, hurrying us along to make sure that we get to where we need to be at the correct time so we don't miss anything. At the end of the trip I am usually the one making sure we don't leave anything behind. Then I have to empty out all of the suitcases and do laundry.

Actually, I did all this before Zane came along--we haven't been able to go on any vacations with him yet. If you would like to know why, picture someone throwing one of those Superballs on the inside of a car, so that it pings and endlessly bounces all over. That would be my child after 30 minutes in the car. It is as if the Tasmanian Devil of Warner Brothers fame is sitting in the back seat. Maybe it will be different when he learns how to read, but right now it is not practical to try and drive long distances. Well, it's not practical for my sanity.

My idea of a vacation would be to get to where I want(I've always wanted to visit South Dakota) and then stay for a couple of weeks. No alarm clocks. No rushing about. No "have to". Big fluffy pillows to sleep on. Room service. Maid service. Spa service. Massage therapist on duty. Somebody else does all the work, in other words. Someone else does all the planning, organizing, packing, etc. I just show up, and unwind the coils of life from around my midsection, and relax.

That would truly be a vacation. What is YOUR idea of an ideal vacation?