Sometimes it's nice to schedule a "vacation" that's just all about our relationship.
To our surprise, our youngest daughter, for whom my wife babysits daily, informed us two weeks ago that her mother-in-law wanted to watch the kids last Tuesday through Friday. On such short notice, we didn't feel like planning an out-of-town trip, but we definitely wanted to take advantage of the unplanned opportunity to spend some time together. So we made a list of several things in the area we wanted to do. Last Tuesday we went swimming at a local family water park; Wednesday we visited a cousin and his wife a few hours away, whose company we always enjoy; Thursday we spent a few hours at a bicycle museum; Friday we went canoeing. We even managed to carry the things into the weekend, seeing a really neat movie (Stardust, which we enjoyed immensely).
It was just the recharge we needed.
What a great "vacation."
ReplyDeleteI always find it interesting that when go away on vacation, I make sure to visit all the places of interest that we can fit in.
But at home, we never seek out the great things we have in our own town/county/state!
I know just what you mean. I grew up about 20 minutes south of Baltimore, but never visited Fort McHenry until I moved away. Likewise many attractions around DC, Annapolis, etc. I suppose it's the old thing about familiarity breeding contempt or, at least, complacency.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago the mrs. and I tried to have at least one "big" monthly date, spending the entire day doing something nearby. We'd take turns planning it, and the unspoken challenge was to plan something that the other wouldn't necessarily think of but would really enjoy. We drove to Cleveland to see the O's play at Jacob's Field, spent a day at a covered bridge festival in Indiana. Sometimes it'd stretch into more than a day - such as an overnight in Cincy to see Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, or a weekend in Chicago. Basically, we were just trying to stay committed to doing the sort of things that helped us fall in love in the first place.
Now that the kids are grown and moved away, we've gotten away from the formal practice. But last week reminds me that perhaps it's time to revisit it.