Disheveled Musings: Inspired!

The frenetic pace of life has got me out of rhythm with everything around me until I was stopped cold in my tracks by the two most important people in the world to me.

Zach and Sami in South Beach

Most years we begin discussing March break while we're still on our Christmas vacation, having to book our flights and hotels well in advance because of the time of year and the expected demand ensures that its always an early discussion.

I clearly remember our conversation on the train from Seattle to San Diego as it rattled through the Northern Californian drought-scape in late December.

My opening stanza, was something like “where do you want to go for March break?” Followed quickly by “…and what cool adventure would you like to have?” Normally there would be some back and forth about a place we hadn't been to, but not this year. They both looked at each other; with a level of unexpected collusion as there eyes darted to each other before settling back on me.

It’s a well-documented fact that they aren't best friends by any measure, but clearly they had been discussing this in advance of my question. Zach was first to speak as he said, “are you okay with just going to a beach?” Sami quickly followed by “how about Florida?” My rather shortsighted response was “…but you're already going to a beach in Florida the second week with mum”. Again they looked at each other and then back at me expectantly. They realized that I wasn't going to give up without a fight on destination as I began rattling off interesting destinations with enormous adventure potential…

It was Sami who broke the silence – “dad, we just want to relax. Do we have to have an adventure?”

I was stunned! I was being challenged on the most fundamental of things, things that are clearly close to my heart. I turned her question over in my mind before answering and was shocked to realize that I had been working on the assumption that they, like me always wanted an adventure of some sort, not only occasionally but non-stop.

It was now plainly clear to me that they really didn't want to schlep across the continent the first week of their break and do something different every day before flying back and heading to Florida the second week where they could unwind from their school term. It felt like my week was still a bit too much like school with activities piled on activities day after day.

Hemingway Museum - Key West Florida

One thing that I realized at that moment was that although I had been asking them and consulting them before booking, my idea of a vacation and theirs is quite different. How could I have been so blind?

I was disappointed in myself for not seeing this earlier, but glad that they had gotten together to talk about it before the inevitable conversation ensued.

I then set about planning a trip to Florida, spending our week at a hotel overlooking the ocean at Pompano Beach (just north of Miami), before driving across South Florida (the Everglades) and heading up the west coast to Longboat Key where I'd drop them off with Jodie and her parents for their second weeks vacation.

The other thing was that I had to curtail my inclination to pack as much as I could into every day… Easier said than done I’m afraid but I'm a work in progress what can I say?

We discussed a couple of day trips; the first was to Key West which is a four plus hour drive, with traffic on the way down it was closer to five, but I'd always wanted to go and visit, especially the Hemingway Museum. Both Zach and Sami were good sports about it and we set off early Monday morning for our “day trip”. Arriving around lunchtime we set about visiting the museum, which was fantastic by the way – just as I had expected, before finding a lunch place to eat and people watch. In the afternoon we strolled the tree lined streets visiting both the Lighthouse (amazing views with lots of old world charm) and the Little White House where Harry S. Truman spent his summers when he was President of the United States. Departing late in the afternoon and arriving back around nine PM; it was a full day of driving but well worth the trip (well in my books anyway). ☺

Having mentally blocked off only two days of activities from the eight we had in Florida, we ventured into Miami on Monday so we could go visit South Beach. C'mon you can't come all this way and not visit South Beach with its cool Art Deco buildings and funky vibe.

Zach had researched a record store (yes he’s a vinyl collector), while Sami had already planned a host of cool stores she wanted to visit and a rather long list of things she wanted to buy. So while they shopped, I snapped away with my trusty Canon camera and got some great photos (see a small selection below).

Now it wasn't the full on adventure trip that I usually would have planned, but in many ways it was also a great time for me to relax and connect with them each personally.

Zach and I walked the beach earlier in the week one afternoon just chatting about life, substituting this for our weekly coffee time. While Sami and I spent some quality time working out together in the hotels gym as well as her shopping adventure yesterday afternoon.

It was evident at dinner last night when I asked them what the best part of the day had been (a family ritual) and they each in turn said how much they had enjoyed South Beach but added that relaxing pace of the week had been fantastic, and how much they appreciated it and my compromise. I smiled a deep and genuine smile.

Not surprisingly I've seemed to acclimatize pretty quickly to days at the beach just relaxing in the sun without feeling pressured to chase the next adventure…☺

Perhaps I'm slowing down or just perhaps I'm seeing the wisdom of my worldly and intelligent teenage kids – hhhmmm?

P.S. A small selection of photos from our week in Florida - enjoy!