Last month, I got to spend a few days with an empty house—no husband, no kids, and no dogs while my husband took the kids to Florida and dogs were off with family. It was a writer’s dream with extreme quiet and no disruptions. I got some serious work done and caught up on sleep. It felt quiet, peaceful… and completely all wrong. I found myself blasting the radio and talking to myself to fill the void of noise. It turns out that I don’t like my own company for more than a few hours.
I will have a longer stretch of this eerie quiet later this summer (stay tuned) but this time was short lived as I met up with my crew in Orlando to hit up Universal Studios together. It was a surprise ending to our kids' Florida vacation. Both struggled to understand that instead of returning home to Chicago, they were headed to the Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando and that Mommy was coming to meet them for another 48 hours of Florida sunshine. My husband deserves all the credit for this surprise several months in the making.
After spending much of my adolescence at Six Flags Great America, I was quickly reminded how much I love a good thrill. We ALL had so much fun. I’m not talking about sideline smiles by proxy as our kids experienced all the joy. I’m talking about getting on the rollercoaster and feeling the wind through your hair while squealing with excitement. I'm talking about going on the luge, getting splashed silly, and then feeling your heart burst when your daughter asks, 'Can we do that again?' Every once in awhile it’s good to put life on hold and just go on the ride. I came home feeling happy and refreshed, ready to tackle adulty things again.
What are you doing this summer to let the kid inside out to play? May I suggest a good old-fashioned waterslide? Just try to be in a bad mood after taking a ride down one of those. The kid in you will thank you.
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