Today I'm finishing up a week of vacation. I stayed at home, though, so I guess I took what in newer terms is called a "staycation." Have you ever taken one? The staycation seems to have come about as a direct result of a declining economy-- fuel prices are high, incomes are low. When things were better we used to climb into the car and drive somewhere, stay at a hotel, eat out every day. Or, if we could scrape the money together, we'd take an airplane to an even further destination. But now, many of us tend to stay home, preferring instead to eat out occasionally or perhaps pay for a few tickets to local destinations. This week, I gathered my family together to go to a Mud Hens game. The Toledo Mud Hens may sound familiar to many of you who grew up watching M*A*S*H* back in the 70s and early 80s. Jamie Farr, a.k.a. Klinger on the TV series, was from Toledo and mentioned the Mud Hens several times. The Mud Hens are a AAA baseball team, a farm team for the Detroit Tigers. We have a beautiful stadium now, and it's a lot of fun to head out to the ballpark.
Also this week, since it was the week of my birthday, I did a lot of shopping. Hey, I'm a girl, it's what we do! The pleasure of unhurried shopping excursions is actually a rare thing these days. In our ever-busy society, most people I know go shopping on a time budget more than a monetary one. My friends like to go shopping on a week night, meaning they only get a couple of hours before either the stores close or they have to be home to tuck their kids in bed. Or, if they shop on a weekend, there's almost always a clock ticking in the back of their heads, counting down the time until they have to meet someone somewhere else or be home to make dinner.
We had dinner out at my favorite restaurant, joined by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Again, we had a leisurely dinner with time to relax with really good food.
Staycations allow time to slow down. Time to sleep in. Time to do some of your favorite things. Or even time to clean out that closet, if that's what you want. All this without breaking your budget and still giving you time away from the "daily grind." Did I miss not going somewhere far away and seeing all brand new things? A little. But the objective of a vacation is to be away from work. And I did that. Hardly thought of it at all.
What about you? Have you taken a staycation? What do you think-- do you like them or hate them? Which is better, in your opinion? Post your opinion here!!!
Until next time,
Toni
