Oops, I accidentally posted my half-finished draft earlier. This is the real post:
I have a secret. I'm on summer vacation. No, I wasn't smart enough to become a teacher who gets the summers off. (What was I thinking?) You see, this is a stealth vacation. One that involves going to work. Although, thanks to this thing they're calling a "furlough," I do have one week off in July and two weeks off in August, plus long weekends for the 4th and Labor Day, and a few other ones thrown in there for the hell of it. But mostly, this is a mental vacation from my hopes and expectations and plans for the future. This summer, I am not thinking about my career or all the goals I should be achieving, or what my next job should be. I am just going to work, doing my job, going home, as early as possible. I am not studying Spanish or taking that web design course I meant to sign up for. I am not fretting about money or the economy or whether I'm going to be laid off. For now, I'm just letting it be a simple equation. I have a job, I go there and do what I have to. Seems so simple, doesn't it?
Here's what I'm devoting my energy to. This summer, I am cooking the season's bountiful produce. Fennel and cucumbers and tomatoes and fresh-from-the soil potatoes. I'm packing picnics to eat at the park. I'm watering my flowers. I'm hanging out at the pool. I'm planning endless budget-friendly trips, camping and days at the beach. I'm knitting Mia the cutest little tank top and skirt combo--in pink, of course. I'm planning to listen to the cicadas and catch lightning bugs with Mia. We're going to go to the neighborhood 4th of July parade, decorate our wagon with red white and blue, maybe get some sparklers. We'll spend a little time visiting family, and we'll spend a week at a big house on the beach in late August. I have a good feeling about this summer. I love vacation.
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