Well, I’m dressed up so nice
An’ I’m doin’ my best
Yes I’m startin’ over..
Startin’ over in another place
–Talking Heads/What A Day That WasHome – is where I want to be
But I guess I’m already there
I come home she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can’t tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
–Talking Heads/This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
This was the first Summer vacation I have ever taken alone. There were some good reasons for me not to take it at all: it was during the week of my wedding anniversary, and I am currently in the middle of a divorce and because of that, money is not plentiful. Given my tendency to hole up by myself like an injured beast, having an extended period of unstructured time alone was maybe not a good idea.
On the other hand, it’s August. I like vacations. I don’t mind spending time alone. I don’t need money to have a good time. It’s been stressful at work, and I did need the break. There were, I decided, way more reasons to take the vacation than there were not to.
It turned out to be a vacation full of firsts, partly by accident and partly through planning.
So I guess that was the first of the firsts. Deciding to take my first solo vacation.
So I called my friend Jan to see if one of her beach cabins was available, and I talked to some friends to find out when they had a free weekend. I couldn’t afford to stay at the beach for the entire 10 days, so I settled for a long weekend. That was how I started out. Four days at one of my favorite places in the world with four friends.
So on Friday the 8th, I packed up my car and went to work. At 3:10, I pulled weout of the parking lot headed to Tierra del Mar to meet Kyle, Rocky, Diane and Kelly.
I have had a lot of great trips to Tierra del Mar. Trips with the book club, trips with friends, trips with Mark. I have done a lot of laughing on those trips. This one just might have been the best one yet. I came home aching from laughing so much. It was exactly what I needed, and the perfect way to start a vacation. I came home Monday night wondering what else I could do that would be that much fun.
So on Tuesday morning as I drank coffee in bed, I thought about it. I had another week of vacation. I needed to do some fun stuff. Maybe some new stuff. Maybe something with flying. Maybe something with water. There were budget constraints, but I could afford a few splurges.
A ride in a hot air balloon. An isolation tank. Glass blowing. Those would be my new experiences.
A series of spin classes. Something I have always loved, but had stopped doing a couple of years ago. Something good for me. Something I find meditative.
A day or two at home, soaking up the sun, reading, writing, watching old movies.
And what would a vacation be without visiting my friends on Tequila Hill?
We golfed, I cooked a Persian dinner, we got together with Sandra and Steve, and I spent the last evening of my vacation up there enjoying the beautiful weather from their deck.
Who gets mentioned in the vacation credits?
Thank you Diane, Kelly, Kyle and Rocky for making the beach weekend so awesome. Kyle, I miss your laugh–and now I know NEVER to challenge you! Kelly, your stories made the weekend. Ruined Mothers RULE! I love you all.
Thank you Chelle and Rick for living just up the street and being part of my family. Your open door policy has taught me a lot about what friendship and generosity are all about. I love you, I love your children, I love your grandchildren. Family.
So what makes a good vacation? Even if it’s a solo vacation, that doesn’t mean I was alone.
Fantastic people, beautiful places, good food, some adult beverages. Mix in some stories. Remember the past. Look forward to the future. Being with friends in the moment. A little crying. Shenanigans. Saying yes. You start with a good mix of things you know that you love and throw in some brand new things to try. Serendipity. Magic. A lot of laughing.
A lot of laughing.
Mostly? It’s setting out knowing that it’s going to be wonderful because all of the people involved are.
And it was.
