An Ode to Vacation

Greetings All:

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been away from the blog for a while.  The last couple of posts were poems I wrote, so it has been a while since I offered up any commentary.  I suppose part of this absence was due to a lack of motivation (there is always time to do what you really want to do so I will not offer that lame excuse).  For me, part of writing is finding something that I think is worth writing about that I think/hope may be of interest to others.  I hope this topic is one that you ALL  with relate to and like...VACATION!!

I just got back from San Diego.  It was awesome.  Along with another family, we spent a glorious week there in a rented house that was very, very nice.  Now to be to completely candid, it was not perfect.  There were times when I looked at the house from the deck and in seeing the chipped paint on the windows and the railings caused me to think of the last days of Adi Amin in exile.  Still, it was a great place.

San Diego has a lot going for it.  For openers, there is this thing called...an ocean.  For those of us who have grown up and/or have spent time in the Midwest, oceans are not exactly close.  Some of us have spent some time in a place with plenty of sand, but not much (or none) surf.  This place has both. 

Of course, the water is not exactly like the Caribbean Sea.  In fact, it is damn cold.  At one point during one of our outings to the ocean, I felt like I was going through SEAL training.  Of course, my youngest daughter was thrilled to be in the water and would have stayed all day.  Still, once you're in the water, you might as well enjoy it.  After all, back home there is no water.

San Diego also has a vast number of attractions.  The Zoo is without question, a great place to spend the day.  The fact that it is only one of only four zoos in the U.S. with Pandas.  We got to see them for about a minute and it might (sadly) be a once in a lifetime experience. 

So notwithstanding that you spend a day traveling both ways, it was a great, great trip.  Vacation was wonderful.  I did not think about work and whatever awaits tomorrow in the inbox, well, it's not milk, it did not, nor will not go bad.  Of course, coming back involves grass needing to be cut, clothes to be washed and the various other things that come with being gone for a week.  It is so worth it.

My point with this blog entry is the following:  Take vacations!  Of course, do not max out a credit card on a trip you cannot afford.  At the same time, remember that cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people.  There is always something that may seem urgent but is not that important.  With a bit of planning, you can not only pay for the trip in advance but also let your co-workers and boss know that you are going and will be back in a week, or two.

This is an ode to vacation.  I am glad I went.

All the best,
Jeno