MY SUMMER VACATION

I just got back from a 9-day summer vacation. From August 5th to the 14th, I was away from computers, technology, hell, CIVILIZATION.

What a great feeling that is. Spend all your days around computers, and you really get to appreciate being "unplugged" for a while.

We went to a cabin out on a lake in Manitoba. Dorothy Lake, if you're interested. But the point is that it was a cabin outside of the city, with amenities like electricity and indoor plumbing for comfort, but no computers or television.

In a word? NICE.

Remember when, as a child, those of us in Generation X used to spend days outside in the summer and time seemed to last forever? Each day was more golden than the next and summer seemed stretch onward toward infinity?

This was like that. Our days consisted of reading, going to the beach, swimming, eating, eating JUNK, and playing all those fun little games you play when there's no TV at night. Scrabble, Guesstures, Trivial Pursuit. It was just a TOTAL decompression relax.

And yeah, I began to feel "the pinch" after about five days of not checking my email or reading my friends' blogs-- but I forced myself not to think about it, like an addict looking for his next fix needs to put his mind somewhere else.

In those sunshiney days of swimming and eating until we couldn't move, I drifted into an almost trancelike observational phase where everything around me suddenly took on new meaning as, rather than take it for granted, I began to focus on it.

Things I noticed:

• My wife is beautiful. She radiates life, prosperity, and unassuming charm flashes from her lips with every smile. Watching her go about mundane tasks like holding our baby or simply dipping her toes in the water at the edge of the dock suddenly became windows peering into the angelic nature of her soul. I was and am humbled by this person I share my life with. She is an angel, with just enough impish deviltry in her to keep her fascinating.
• My family is important to me. I would watch my father barbecueing or swimming with my young cousin and think, "that's my Dad. That's my father out there. Geez, we're a lot alike." and then realizing how much I enjoy being with him. It wasn't always that way growing up-- which makes it so much more meaningful now.
• I still have untapped potential. Having the space to relax and think gave me the chance to prioritize the existing patterns in my life and to make room for some new ones. I want to write more. I want to create more. And, by god, I actually do have talent in a few creative arenas. I should exercise it more, and work at it until it becomes a GREAT talent.

That was what came to me during the introspective analysis phase of the vacation. The rest was just simple, hedonistic enjoyment of pleasure for pleasure's sake.

There was a doe (a deer, a female deer) that came to the front yard of the cabin and almost let me touch her. I stared into her eyes for a good long while before she moved on. She wasn't in a zoo, she wasn't in a "habitat." She was in HER habitat, and was investigating US. And for that reason, she was more "real" to me.

A Great Bald Eagle perched in the tree just off our balcony one day. Those birds are huge. And yes, they ARE majestic. They are the lions of the sky-- regal and fierce-looking and just fascinating when one gets the opportunity to see them up close.

In a more pop-culture vein, if you read my Slurpee entry you'll note that Winnipeg, Canada is the Slurpee Capital of the World. Well, the 7-11 that was right by my Dad's house in Winnipeg (the Killarney Street location if you ever visit) had the highest sales of Slurpees in all of Winnipeg. And since Winnipeg has the highest sales of Slurpees in the world, I can say that I have stood in the 7-11 that sells the most Slurpees on the planet. Truly a humbling pop culture experience. I even got a bumper sticker to commemorate the event (see below).

In closing, I'd like to point out that the Summer Vacation is a ritual everyone should indulge in if at all possible. Unplug. Remove yourself from your circumstances. Remove yourself from the distractions of "productivity." It'll be frustrating for some, but well worth it.

Posted by Agent M at August 17, 2003 01:18 PM