Home Again

Well, it seems like the Internet got along just fine without me.

Good to know.

If you weren't aware, I spent the last week in Maine at my family-in-law's reunion, or in transit either to or from. It's held annually in Maine, which is a bit of a trek by car from Pennsylvania. With six people. And a friend. And all our stuff. We took two cars. (Sigh)

Usually when I leave the house, even if just for a couple hours, I take 'work stuff' with me.. thinking I'll have time to organize or brainstorm, or think up brilliant blog posts, or be otherwise productive without the distractions of home life. I mean, how cool it would be to sit, dangling my feet off the dock into Lake Damariscotta, sipping coffee and writing my business plan? Right? RIGHT?

And then last week, during one of my last sessions, I thought, "Why?" Why not just take a vacation? Because I don't "work" that many hours? Maybe not, but I'm always doing something.. writing, thinking about writing, planning, marketing, checking my emails and social networks a billion times a day. Why not just not do that stuff for a week and see if the world comes to a grinding halt?

Much to my astonishment, it didn't.

I took my laptop, checked in a couple of times during the week in case anything crucial came up. (It didn't.)

Otherwise, I spent my time hanging out, drinking Kona coffee handpicked by our Hawaii contingent, eating, talking, swimming in the lake, eating, cooking, napping, eating, sweeping the cabin, being somewhat available while our kids came and went their separate ways... kayaking with cousins, climbing Mt. Katahdin, driving to the beach, eating way too many marshmallows...

And, of course, realizing how much unnecessary minutes and hours I waste doing things that really don't need to be done. Who'd have thought?

I fell in love with my family. I played with my teenage sons in the water, laughing our asses off. I drank Hawaiian beer with my underage nieces and nephews. (shh) I listened to the loons howling in the quiet night, reminding me of coyotes, and saw SO many stars and the Milky Way with my eight-year-old. Those moments just don't come that often anymore, and I could have missed them, hiding out in the cabin, buried in my notebook.

I don't mean to get mushy and cliche'. It's just that I didn't really think I was one of those people missing out on what's essential in life. Until I decided to leave the distractions home.

I may be writing less in the future. Or perhaps I'll forget this profound lesson in a week or two.

So, if you see me on twitter for just a little too long, kick me, will ya? And send me a link to this post. Thanks.

PS.. and oh!! And 8 year old FINALLY learned how to swim underwater. Happy Day!

PPS: More photos here!!!!

Comments

[Lori Enos]

Great post and an awesome reminder of all the things we do that really don't matter in the scheme of things. I'm always amazed and slightly hurt when the world doesn't come crashing down when I'm offline for a day or too (maybe I overestimate my own importance LOL)

[Gina Loree' Marks]

Lori: LOL... exactly what I was thinking! Like,gosh, didn't anyone miss me? Gasp! :)