I Need a Vacation

This week begins Jay's two-week fall break from school. Yes, I know, school just started but apparently around these parts, the kids and teachers are due for a lengthy vacation. I can't say I was excited about the time off to spend with Jay, after all, it is a lot of time together. And she's not quite like Nas in that he likes to play alone, most of the time, and he naps for about 2 hours a day. So I get full-on, all-day long engagement with Jay. After two days, I'm ready for a vacation of my own.

In the past weeks we've struggled financially...I mean big time. So that's been waring on me. We're planning on moving to a smaller place but can't really look now because we won't be out of here until January. I'm the kind of person who, when I know change is coming, likes to make that change as easy as possible. I'm not big on change so the fewer headaches I have to medicate, the better. So there's that. I can't pack, I have to prepare for the holidays and keep thinking, "Why do too much in here when we're just gonna move?" Well, Thanksgiving and Christmas are still gonna come, whether I'm moving or not and because I can't pack up much of anything I need to enjoy today and let tomorrow take care of itself. I'm all Virgo so that is a hard pill to swallow.

So I have my 6, nearly 7, year old diva-like child at home with me all day long for 14 days and wondering where we're going to end up living next bouncing around in my head like a tennis ball in a game between the Williams sisters. I need a vacation.

Who doesn't need a vacation? Who can afford a vacation? By God it ain't me! I can't even sneak away to the mountains ($80 for a room, $40 in gas)! I'd love to slip off to my aunt's house in Indiana and just pretend there's nothing more than just her house there at 1124. But I can't. I have people who need me and there's not a dime to spare for such a luxury right now. The only vacation I can take right now is the one I imagine inside my mind.

My mental vacation is set on a beautiful (clean) beach on a warm (not too hot) island where I can read my favorite magazines, listen to my favorite tunes and nap when I feel the urge. Babe and the kids aren't far off either, but the kids are occupied doing activities that enhance their minds and Babe, well, he can do whatever he wants to that isn't disturbing me. How fabulous does that sound? Then we all meet at a quaint, quiet restaurant for dinner...nothing more, nothing less.

For now I keep my mental getaway at the front of my mind because this is just a moment in my life when things don't go my way. I'm tired of the demands of children, I'm tired of the same old same old, and I'm tired of thinking about it all. All I focus on right now is getting through the day and the hope that tomorrow will be better.