I learned the art of stickin’ around during my recent week off from work.
Usually, when I take vacation time during the summer, it’s so that my family and I can take a trip somewhere. Last year, for example, we Sullivans disappeared from Sanford for ten days and visited family and friends in North Carolina, Virginia and Philadelphia and even spent an afternoon in New York City.
In our house, that’s called a “Vaca-Shawn,” named after my tendency to plan and drag my wife and daughter along these whirlwind tours in which we see and do much and relax and catch our breath only when we get home.
During the week of the Fourth, however, I took a “Val-Cation,” named after my wife Valerie’s preference to use time off to do nothing and catch a breath after months packed with the busyness of life. She’s a second-grade teacher, so you can see where she’s coming from.
I love my family’s “Vaca-Shawns,” but you know what? The “Val-Cation” I took earlier this month is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable weeks I’ve had in years. I left Sanford a couple of times but stayed relatively close and also kept occupied, but with the simple things I enjoy most in life.
I went to the movies three times, to see “World War Z,” “The Heat” and “White House Down,” all of which I liked to varying degrees. I read two books and made it well into a third one. I even made significant progress with a project I started quite some time ago.
My family and I took my mother to George’s Diner in Meredith, New Hampshire, on a warm Saturday evening mixed with sun and rain. Mom enjoyed the trip, as Meredith is one of her favorite sports and she and Dad used to visit there often.
The Essay on Great Depression Job Family Week
... my terrifying week. Hopefully we will have better luck in this new state, and someone in my family will find ... during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time of economic collapse from 1929-1941. It was extremely ... difficult to find a job during this time. But I managed to find a job. I ... because I work all day and don't have much time to rest. My job consists of washing the ...
My family and I also went with friends to Aquaboggan in Saco, and I slipped and slid down water slides for the first time since I was a teenager. That day I rediscovered a conclusion I had drawn more than twenty years ago, when my high-school pals and I went to the water park during an afternoon of so-called disagreeable weather. Aquaboggan is so much more fun in the rain. On the day my family and I went earlier this month, the skies turned gray and opened up and torrents of heavy rain fell on us. Some people at the park took shelter — although why they did, I could not figure out, as most of them already were wet and wearing their bathing suits. As for me and my family and friends, we stayed out in the open, and careened down the slides and waded in the wave pool as the rain fell. There was something … epic about enjoying the water park under those conditions. Now of course that’s a ridiculous word to use to describe the experience. But why settle for a less grandiose word like memorable? This is summer fun we’re talkin’ about.
We went to Number One Pond on the third and watched the fireworks, something I’ve done almost every summer since I was three or four years old. As I sat on a blanket near the pond’s retaining wall, I looked across the water toward the Winter Street bridge and recalled that time in the mid-1970s when my father brought me to see the fireworks. He and I sat on the steep grassy slope next to one end of the bridge and I covered my ears when each rocket exploded but enjoyed the show, all the same.
On the Fourth, Valerie and Madeline and I hosted our annual barbecue. We used to celebrate the Fourth with a barbecue at my parents’ house but moved the festivities to my house a few years ago. We’ve opened up the barbecue to friends and neighbors in recent years, and that’s become a nice tradition.
I also made it to a Mainers game at Goodall Park one evening. I went with my friend Nathan and his two kids. Nate lives in Philadelphia now, but during his two-week visit to Sanford this month he took a look around and noticed the favorable changes that are occurring in the city. Both he and I grew up on Shaw Street, just two blocks from Goodall Park.
The Essay on Balancing family and work
With very little time in a day that we spend awake, life can seem like a complicated juggling act. Most of us have more balls in the air than we can handle. We drop a ball from time to time even more or less depending on how balanced or unbalanced our life is. Some of the balls are more important than others, dropping the important ones can be disastrous. While dropping the less important ones ...
“You know, we didn’t have this while we were growing up,” he said, speaking of progress, as we watched the Mainers from our seats behind home plate.
Nate, by the way, was one of two ol’ friends of mine who now live out of state but returned to our hometown for the week of the Fourth. My friend Brian was another, and we had lunch one afternoon at a restaurant here in Sanford.
I’ve known Nate and Brian for more than 30 years, and it was a treat to have two friends from the good ol’ days in Sanford for the week.
I ended my weeklong holiday on a quiet note. On Sunday, the night before I returned to work, my family and my mother and I went to the beach. We ate supper at Forbe’s in Wells — I love their chopped-ham-and-pickles sandwiches — and then Maddie and I stood ankle-deep in the Atlantic for a few moments while Valerie and Mom relaxed on one of the benches overlooking the water.
I know how this must read. I hope none of this is humdrum, but I’m sure this column reads like one of those essays that teachers assign students every September — you know, the ones with the titles that go, “What I Did During My Summer Vacation.” Of course, in my case, this column could be called, “What I Did During My Week Off From Work.”
Fair enough. But my theme here is the enjoyment of spending time off right here at home. I’ve done that before, to be sure, but this time felt different. There was an element of discovery for me during that week. I found a perfect balance of spending time with family and friends and finding time to enjoy some solitude too. I achieved this balance with spontaneity and without prior planning — when I left my desk at work that Friday afternoon, all I knew about the wide-open week ahead was that my family and I would be going to the city’s fireworks and parade and hosting that barbecue. I returned to work on July 8 with a certain satisfaction; I knew I had enjoyed my free time to the fullest and that it was time again to work and be productive.
Looking at the activities I’ve described above, I admit I wonder whether Valerie would consider that week a “Val-Cation,” after all. We stuck around and moved at our own pace, but did quite a lot. I’ll have to ask her.
The Term Paper on The Relationship Between The Individual And Work And Family Has
The relationship between the individual and work and family has changed dramatically over the years. Jobs and families both demand enormous commitments of time and energy, especially during peak years of family formation and career growth. Today, jobs usually consume a third of a persons day. Americans put more hours in at work to support their families, creating more stress at home, which results ...
Hmmm.
Giving it some more thought, maybe my week off was more of a “Val-Cay-Shawn.”
