Maintaining Vacation

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

 My favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally and one of my favorite scenes is one that got a lot of attention a few years back when the movie celebrated its 30th anniversary -- the one when Harry talks about high maintenance and low maintenance. When Sally asks which she is, he says, "You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance, but you think you're low maintenance.

Unlike Sally, I don’t think I’ve ever actually believed that I’m low maintenance (and I'm okay with that), but it was during our beach vacation this summer that I realized that the low maintenance train no longer even bothered to stop at my station. 

When it comes to the beach, I’ve never been someone who could grab a swimsuit and some sunscreen and pull my hair back into a ponytail -- me of the pale Irish skin and receding gray hair line. I spend a day at the beach in comfy clothes, slathered with sunscreen, under an umbrella with a good book. And, as we get ready to head for the shore, I’m more interested in pulling together the perfect combination of reading material and writing implements to accompany my beach journal than preparing to catch any rays or take the temperature of the ocean.

A beach trip, to me, is an invitation to unwind. I’d rather sleep in and spend a long leisurely morning in the screened-in sunporch than rise in time to watch the sun greet the morning. But lately, even allowing the magic of sea and salt air to take over has been a high maintenance pursuit. Even in my happy place, to-do's surround me like seagulls diving for a discarded soft pretzel. 

Many are fun to-do's. I want to cram in as many books, puzzles, brainstorms, and creative pursuits as possible before our trip draws to a close. I want to empty all the ideas inspired by the change of pace and change of scenery, lasso them, and get them on the page before they escape.

Needless to say, my family has other plans. 

About midway through our trip this year, I recognized that some reframing was in order. Instead of thinking of the beach trip as ticking creative clock, I needed to think of it as a kick-off. Opportunities don’t expire at the end of the trip – they’re all still available and, if they matter, I'll pursue them.

Because the change of pace and change of scenery don't follow me home, though, I need to actively establish those changes when I get home, making time to do all the things I associate with vacation. And, back here in the real world, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what a vacation actually is and whether or not it's something we can create for ourselves no matter where we are.

Stay tuned. Meanwhile, feel free to share your thoughts -- about Harry, Sally, high/low maintenance, beaches or vacations -- in the comments :-)