Five Tough Truths I Learned About Myself on Summer Vacation

Ahhh...summer vacation! The last concentrated dose of warm summer sun before that familiar crispness in the air makes you reach for your sweater and tug it close around you. We ventured out to Martha's Vineyard a week after President Obama's visit (which, depending on whom you ask, was either terrific timing or the missed opportunity of a lifetime--although nobody could argue that the lighter traffic was a blessing).

During those eight days among the dunes, I realized five key things about myself:

1. Even as a dedicated nature-lover, I can take only so much of living in the boonies. Maybe it's because I spent so much of my life as a New Yorker, but I just could not ever build my whole life around living in the woods. (Hey, Thoreau could do it for only two years, and even he ventured into town during his Walden experiment for the occasional dinner with friends.) I still treasure having the woods in my (suburban) backyard and wouldn't trade it for the best penthouse in Manhattan.

2. As much as I espouse unplugging from technology on this blog (and isn't that sort of a mixed message while you read this blog online?), it was really, really hard for me to disconnect. We were on a secluded island that took two ferries to get to, with very spotty internet connection. It drove me quietly nuts to send out message after message that was never received, like some sort of shipwrecked sailor sending out bottled S.O.S's with no hope of them ever being retrieved on the mainland.

3. Even though I adore my extended family and feel blessed to truly enjoy my in-laws (don't hate me), I still need a healthy dose of time all to myself. I couldn't always be "running with the pack" and in fact, some of my favorite moments on vacation were simply sitting by myself with a really good book and drifting into a late-afternoon nap. Because really, what's more decadent than a nap in the shade?

4. I still get starstruck. We shared a driveway with two other houses, one of which belonged to an A-list actress, whom we saw three times during our stay. (Our house was decidedly less posh than hers.) Each time we crossed paths, it sent a little quivery-shiver down my back. I've seen many, many celebrities over the years and even met a few (again, thanks to living in Manhattan for so long), yet it's always the same quivery-shiver. But why exactly? Why are famous people so captivating and different from "us", anyway? I think it's a question to be explored in a future post.

5. I'm a homebody. Not too many years ago, I used to feel deflated when I headed back home from a vacation, but now, it feels downright delicious to go back home again. Don't get me wrong: I'm enormously thankful for vacations. But I'm even more thankful for my "real life."

Your turn: Where was your favorite vacation ever? Could you live there full-time? Why or why not? Please share in the Comments section below.If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can read any replies to you.)

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