In July it seemed everyone was on vacation. Jan went to Vegas, Catherine went to China, various other friends set off on road trips and camping expeditions. I moped about and felt quite sorry for myself. Why couldn't I take a vacation?
Summer travel doesn't make a lot of sense in my life at the moment. Having waited months for some long overdue heat, it's time to be working in the garden, grooming the lawn and preparing the farm yard for the eventual arrival of our chickens and alpacas - all of which are activities I enjoy. Nor is there anywhere I really want to visit right now - I have a couple of winter escapes in mind for when the snow closes in but being a tourist in the extreme heat has no appeal.
When my children were much younger and time and money were tight, we sometimes took "at home" vacations. We'd stay in our pajamas until noon, putter about the house, eat takeout and watch movies on DVD. Other days we'd venture out to explore our own city and try new restaurants. Not as memorable as visiting a more exotic location but nonetheless satisfying and with the bonus of not needing to deal with airport security or travel sickness.
I briefly considered an "at home" vacation and concluded, apart from the takeout food, it was too much like my regular life.
I spoke with my nephew who is enjoying a 6 week break from his job at the moment. "Can't you take vacation?" he asked. "Are you too busy right now?"
I had to laugh. I'm retired so I'm more or less on a permanent vacation. I'm not in need of a rest from my exertions or a break from stress. Putter around the house is what I do most days and I can spend my life in my pj's if I choose. What I do need - and what a vacation provides - is a change. Because I've discovered over the years that a change in scenery provokes a change in perspective which, in turn, leads to a new enthusiasm for one's daily life.
I judge the success of vacations by how anxious I am to return home by the end. Not because I haven't enjoyed myself but because I've been inspired by the things I've seen and done and I can't wait to get back to my "real" life to put my inspirations into practice.
So I've marked off the second week of August in my calendar as "vacation" and I'm planning to head to the cottage. We're at the cottage most weekends from May through October and I hadn't thought of it as a vacation destination - we spend much of our time there working - fixing things, cutting the grass, planning renovations - much as we do at home. What is significant about the cottage is the activities I don't engage in - doing laundry, watching television. I think I'll leave my knitting and quilting at home as well - things I used to do in my spare time but which in retirement have become serious occupations. I'll bring a sack of books and my camera and leave the dog at the farm. Hopefully I'll emerge with that "vacation" feeling.
If not, next year I'll go to China.
