Summer is supposed to be one long vacation, right? Well, it used to be. I remember my summers as a kid; they were full of camping, playing outside passed sunset, and riding my bike four miles up the road to get the best ice cream in town, just because I could. When you’re a kid, each day in the summer was an empty slate. You could do everything you wanted… or you could do nothing! As a kid your summers could take you as far as your imagination let you wander. I miss that.
Now that I’m growing up, enjoying summer’s endless freedom is getting harder and harder as my days have become jam packed with work schedules and internship duties. I don’t get to get away as often as I used to, and I definitely don’t have much time to let my imagination sit in the driver’s seat of my day. This summer I’ve been busy soaking in a great (but unpaid) internship for half of the week, and running around as a waitress trying to make up the extra cash at a local Lobster restaurant for the other half. While it’s been a wonderful summer for gaining work experience in my future field and making money before I go back to school, I’ve been so busy I was starting to feel like I needed a break from my summer break… But the problem was, yet again, TIME! I have hardly any time to get out of town to relax and destress, so I had to improvise. With my boyfriend coming into town to visit during the fourth of July, I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and treat myself to a staycation! And let me tell you, I’m so glad I did. It turned out to be one of the best vacations I’ve ever had.
It was Parker’s first time in Maine, so we did all of the touristy things you could do. We ate at my favorite restaurants, had late night campfires complete with s’mores and too many mosquito bites, and took lots of unnecessary (but worth it because they’re cute) pictures. I did so many things I’ve done countless times before and normally take for granted, but treating this week like a true vacation changed my entire experience. Nothing reminds you the importance of enjoying where you are quite like a staycation with your favorite people. It was the perfect relaxing week with family and friends, and I didn’t have to pack a suitcase or get on a plane. I guess they don’t call Maine vacationland for nothing, huh?
Moral of the story, don’t under estimate the power of a staycation. Look up, take a breath, and appreciate the place you call home.