First Baptist Church of Herndon

Half the Fun?

Linda Soller | Jul 08, 2024

I’ve heard it said that planning a vacation is half the fun.  I question where the line is drawn between planning and preparing. I also question the fun part!  When my children were young, we would go to the beach with my family each year. It was a long drive south for one week, only to turn around and make the long trip home. The car we took was not large, the number of toys we took was large. Looking to the back seat I can vividly remember two small frowning faces, looking miserable, peering out of a pile of dolls, blankets, and pillows. And so, it began!  It was tough to leave after a week. We were just starting to relax. The drive home seemed shorter, but the days after were long and hard.

Once the children were grown and I had a bit more say on my schedule at work, I began to stay the full two weeks. Once I had stayed the whole time I never looked back. But preparing to be gone for two weeks from work was a different story. In truth it only happened because I said yes to checking in at the office three times a day. At first it made pre-vacation easier, but after a few years I started to resent the interruptions to my down time. Clearly, there was no easy answer.

Now that I’ve retired, I truly enjoy my vacation. I get away from my routine. Yes, retired people have a routine, and by the end I am okay with returning home. But even with retirement the planning, the laundry, the packing, etc. are not high on my list of fun things to do. I have lists of my lists to be sure it all gets done. I second guess little things like how many books I will read, do I take one or two knitting projects, how well will my art supplies travel, and will the weather require a sweatshirt?   These may seem like silly things, but it brings me to my original thought. If getting ready for vacation is half the fun, maybe I should just stay home?

Be kind, be brave, have faith!  : )   Linda