Tag Archives: Lake

I’ve been “up North” as the natives like to say here in balmy Minnesota. Little cabin by a good lake.

Good fishing

Quiet

Cool breezes

Afternoon naps

Merriam-Webster defines vacation:

¹va·ca·tion

noun, often attributive \vā-ˈkā-shən, və-\

1: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission

2 : a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended        b : a period of exemption from work granted to an employee

3: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation <had a restful vacation at the beach>

4: an act or an instance of vacating

Vacations are a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, as the cabin was a recent purchase, we spent a good deal of time working to clean it up and make it our own. This did not leave a lot of time for writing. However, “think writing” was in abundance.

I had a boss once who twice a year went to Cancun on vacation with his wife for a week each time. During his “vacation” I would receive almost as many emails from him as I did when he was actually in the office. Really? I asked him once what his wife thought of his sitting in the hotel’s business center working while they were on vacation? His response was, “She was doing the very same thing.”  Wow! Don’t you wish you could spend $7,000 to $12,000 to go to an all-inclusive resort and spend a week sitting in the business center with you significant other sending and reading work emails?!? I finally told him that if he sent me any emails while he was on vacation, I would delete them unread. It did not help.I left that position before he realized that life is too short not to take a break and enjoy what you have worked so hard to attain.

Before you start thinking that all I did on my vacation was fix plumbing issues, move furniture, hang pictures, wash dishes and do yard work, let me say this. I sat on the deck, drinking a snazzy beer, glass of wine, or Irish whiskey on the rocks at least an hour every day. The good news is the cabin is now in shape for relaxing. The bad news is we may only have a few weeks left of decent weather before the north wind says, “Time to head south.” We will enjoy it while we can.

Do you have a little retreat to escape the rat race?