This year we added a little something extra to our vacation
It was a simple daily rhythm David practiced on his pilgrimage to Israel.
The only schedule
we were encouraged to follow involved
three things:
something
anything
&
nothing
Something…
was to be an intentional, quasi- scheduled event,
done alone
or
with a group.
So needing something to do,
one afternoon we hiked up Amicalola Falls,
6 adults
with 3 children
under 2
Perhaps he's seen too many adventure movies?
Can I get a hoo ha?!
Buoyed by this feat a certain person not especially known to be outdoorsy
birthed a search for more remote, calf-cramping trails, which then required trips by same to the
local North Face store for proper maps and a suitable back pack equipped with -
I kid you not- -
the same hydration gear used by the US military.
Later, to entertain ourselves on the drive home to Florida this person bought a book on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail called a Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and had me read aloud for 10 straight hours
...but I digress
At times something was an appointment to steal a kiss
Or you got a hankering for a good page turner
Once, something was class 4 rapids for the guys
countered by lunch and spa-hhhing for the girls
You should also know there was a picnic
that had to be sherpa-ed down the mountain
babies and all
to a splendid
sweat inducing, mosquito swatting spot
After dinner we sat around as the sun went down,
to enjoy 2 parts laughter to 1 part conversation,
loosely but intentionally structured to help us unearth
important somethings on our hearts---
Once something included a sweet afternoon
lapping up a sparkling lake
some of us...
literally
Anything…
was an individual choice to do
whatever you thought you’d enjoy
especially if it involved
a daring whim.
perched on the balcony I read poems
and pulled out my paints
to capture the mountains
and a leaf I found on a trail
Joe and Jon kept a fierce foosball tournament going,
complete with some serious trash talk
about their mama.
was doing what I love
dreamy wandering
through the tiny town where we
discovered a beautiful interiors store
Gatewood Hall/Gracious Home
And some of us dreamed
we could do anything
We especially liked the idea that food qualified as an anything
Actually
food
came up a lot in this category
And a few of us liked the idea of getting to eat
anything
we wanted
David’s anything always involved the luxury of reading
any book he could get on his ipad
always with his feet propped up.
But doing
Nothing
was what we all liked best
With nothing to do we had plenty of time
to get our walking in
even if it meant after dinner
down the train tracks
It felt good to stand around
doing nothing
A lot of our nothing had to do with magazines
Seems the more we did
nothing
the more we got playful
It just felt great having nothing to do
and nowhere to be
So we hung around
together
just doing a whole lot of
nothing
because nothing makes the most fun
Mostly
we accomplished our
nothing
with the help of rocking chairs
gazing out at the hills
being lulled by the sound of the river
"Summer afternoon... summer afternoon...
the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
Henry James
This is beautiful Aunt C! You captured everything for your grands! When they get older this will be a wonderful way to tell them of their first vacation with Marmi and G-Daddy!
ReplyDelete-Sarah
LOVE it!!! There is something to be said about how so very much is in nothing... :-)
ReplyDelete- Jerryl
This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing. I'm ready to do nothing! :) Hope to see you soon. Patti
ReplyDeleteCaron, thanks for sharing such exquisite family memories with all of us. It warmed my heart. Glad you all had such a wonderful, renewing time together. Know you all are much loved and appreciated beyond measure. - Tina
ReplyDeleteBeautifully captured and spoken. I have tears in my eyes because it makes me want to be with those people in that place at this time...thanks.
ReplyDeleteGlad I was there to do something and anything and nothing. It means everything. Love you. - Catie
ReplyDeleteDitto to Lauren's comment. As always you are a gifted communicator. Thanks for sharing! Glad to see you refreshed by some down time as you all give so much to so many throughout the year, Sending you a Texas hug and can't wait to see what you write next as it's always signficant and valuable. Love You!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great job.
LeAnn Weiss-Rupard
amazing words. Love the new blog. love you.
ReplyDeleteJonny
This was beautiful, funny and inspiring. I loved watching all of you do something, anything, but especially....nothing! ;-)
ReplyDelete