The Start of Somethin’ New

Well, there are just a couple more days until some of our family is going on a “summer vacation.” I have many emotions as we prepare for that.

The dictionary defines “vacation” as: planned time spent not working; R and R, break, breathing space, day of rest, few days off, fiesta, furlough, holiday, intermission, layoff, leave, leave of absence, liberty, long weekend, recess, recreation, respite, rest, sabbatical, spell, time off.

Those, for the most part, sound really good, don’t they? Words like “break” and “breathing space” as well as “liberty” and “rest” are positive words.

That is what I am hoping for, but I actually want more. I would hope it would include catching up with family that we don’t see often, getting to know and be known by a toddler with whom we haven’t spent much time, fun out-of-the-ordinary times, and special activities we can’t enjoy where we live. Those are my hopes.

However, this year presents challenges, at least to me. Many folks love adventure with new scenery, and they plan vacations in different places each year. Me? Not so much. Some folks like the same old same old places and activities with a few new experiences thrown in. That describes me.

For the past 17 years, we have gone to Panama City Beach, Florida for our vacation. We are familiar with the road heading there, the condo we stay in, the beach we play on, the activities we like, and especially the restaurants we look forward to enjoying.

Because of so many unknowns surrounding the oil spill and possible fumes from the Gulf which could affect breathing, this year we decided to head to the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Gulf. After all, we have two babies under a year old, and I’m their grandmother. Enough said!

We will be traveling a new road to a new destination staying in an unknown condo and trying unknown restaurants. Not really comfortable for a “rut person.” However, it is probably good to stretch, reach, and grow in one’s experiences (or so they tell me).

I’ll let you know.

♫ Livin' in my own world
Didn't understand
That anything can happen
When you take a chance

I never believed in
What I couldn't see
I never opened my heart
To all the possibilities, oh

I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
And right here tonight
This could be the
Start of somethin' new. ♫

From “High School Musical”