Vacation

Five years into this motherhood thing, I've finally come to terms with the new realities of vacation. Gone are the days of sleeping late, wandering through cute shops, reading 5 books in a week and sipping foofy cocktails from dusk 'til dawn.

The new reality is doing most of the same things I always do, but away from the comforts and usual diversions of home. Sort of the mommy equivalent of the old Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels.

For years I was resentful. But I've come to appreciate the rhythms of vacation. I've learned to seek out (and demand if necessary) the quiet spots of time when the kids are being cared for by someone else and I can read 50 pages of a novel uninterrupted. I've learned to stop with the planning already and to more fully engage in the moment, knowing that for this week, somebody else is in charge of dinner.

And I'm reminded that the simple pleasures of a bucket and sand can do wonders for the soul.