On this two-week “back home” vacation that Jeff and I are currently on, I was so excited to have stores everywhere, choices and just things to do. I quickly started meeting friends and family for lunch, sitting at coffee shops to get this blog off the ground and enjoying all my endless options. I quickly realized a small level of stress joined me in my daily activities. I didn’t figure it out until one morning I just wanted to go for a walk. I wanted to “play outside” and listen to the birds. This is part of our everyday life in Maine but on vacation I have just been going from building or house to the next. My soul want to hear the crunch of leaves under my feet and my mind wanted a space to let free. I wanted to see animals and OH MY I sound like a hippie!!
Well, I did just that. I went outside. Our rental is near a pond so I figured I would find some fun areas to walk. I then found conservation land with small trails behind the houses near by. I let myself get lost and wander through the trees. There were ducks, plenty of birds, even a mother swan guarding her nest. I could faintly hear the sound of cars buzzing by on the roads I was near, but it was faint. The noise of suburbia was far enough that I could enjoy the nature I was surrounded by, yet close enough that I was thinking about getting a coffee after my mini-hike.
This impromptu adventure got me thinking about what I really wanted from this vacation. Other than the obvious of connecting with all my family and friends, I wanted to re-connect to the things that calmed me before the move. I wanted to remember the smell of the salt air and the bustle of a coffee shop at noon. I wanted to remember the chaos of traffic {sounds strange but I wanted to remember it} and the taste of food prepared by someone other than my husband or I. I wanted to remember why I love our home in Maine but also why I miss Massachusetts from time to time.
During the rest of my trip, I am going to make time for the ocean, the backyard trails, the coffee shops and the people that make Massachusetts so special to me. I am going to indulge in the things I cannot find in our Maine community. Next month I get to bring a dear friend to Massachusetts for the first time and I cannot wait to show her my childhood home. I may have lived in many different towns across the state during various stages of my life, but there is something unique and quirky about it, just the perfect mixture to love forever! Now get outside and play!