Gift from the Sea, or, God Bless AML

Here's the thing about traveling. I like it, but it's a lot of work now. I have to clear my calendar, which means finding someone to do all the legwork with the kids, manage the house, etc. I have wanted to go to Baltimore to see my BFF Lynn in her Louise Jefferson de-luxe apartment in the sky, but absolutely could not go with my family. The kids would fill up that space like wild dogs on a skiff. So after reading Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea, I was inspired. I would go on vacation alone, and everyone else would make it work. Of course, there was quid pro quo...Bill could have his own vacation too, to a place of his own choosing. It just so happened that both vacations occurred in June, but that actually worked out too. By half year mark, I think we were both tired and needed a regroup.

I will post more about Baltimore another day, when I have pictures to narrate. But here's what I will say on the general topic of vacationing alone: do it. Do it at least once a year. Do it for a weekend, or three or four days. Do it to a place where someone you know and love lives, so that you're not lonely. Make your own schedule. Eat what you want. Don't call home too much. Read a crappy book while you're there. Breathe a little. I did, and wow, I feel like a million bucks.