First Draft of Vacation

"It's nice to live small for awhile."
- Thomas Sherrier, enjoying a quiet meal with his family on the first night of vacation, Summer 2010

Upon hearing this profound observation, my initial reaction was, "Spoiled." We've rented a 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath beach townhouse/condo for our summer hiatus in Bethany Beach, DE. Lowering the expectations for the kids all the preceding month, we warned them that the accommodations, found after furious Internet surfing, were one step above beach camping. The truth is, we had no idea what we had agreed to rent for the week. All we really had was hope, faith, and a 50% deposit on a virtual video tour.

"Prepare to get cozy," we said, "and pray it doesn't rain."

The reality of our imagined desert island situation is much better. The beach is a mere 2 blocks away. The rooms are bigger than they appeared on web cam. There is running hot and cold water, refrigeration and air conditioning. Iron bars across the windows are unnecessary. We are safe and comfortable. Hardly living "small".  But on this first vacation day, relaxation is the missing ingredient. Can relaxation and cozy with family of 5 coexist?

Before dinner, at the beach, Thomas dug a hole. No reason, just dug a hole in the sand. As I watched his effort, I was conditioned to ask, "So, what are you going to do with that hole now?" I immediately knew that a fully relaxed father, living in the moment, free of the daily pressures of bone-crushing responsibilities and obligations, would never have asked such a utilitarian question. A fully alive father would have wordlessly starting digging, too.

Every day life digs the hole. Time to let the waves, surf and sun fill in the void for awhile. Time to live small for 7 days and 7 nights.