Declaring independence

As the summer approached I knew it would be unlike many previous years. I skipped Mountain Jam in favor of some necessary downtime, passed my inside seats to DMB at SPAC on to someone else, and resigned myself to not sharing a Cape house with Aloysius for two weeks. It’s a different year, but I’ve learned to roll with things.

I’m probably so ok with the prospect of a new summer because a friend offered me the chance to crash their family vacation in Wellfleet for a few nights. The extra bedroom, complete with twin beds, they had available was the perfect consolation. Not wanting to leave my kids feeling left out, I quietly made plans for 3 nights of adult time with a friend. I was excited by the idea of childless beach time, a real novelty for me.

Unfortunately, a situation arose which prevented my friend from sticking with our plan. After some consideration, I decided to see if perhaps my youngest son might want to skip town with me; it just seemed self indulgent for me to go solo. Call it mom guilt. So, I asked him and… he declined, leaving me feeling guilt free and ready for a little serious downtime.

I’ve never been to the Cape without being tethered to another and my mind is racing at the thought of being able to set my own pace. I’m bringing my bike and hope to ride to the beach, take a couple of runs and wander around Provincetown without a care in the world.  I’m kind of eager for some time away on my own.  Of course, I’ll miss my loved ones but it’s just a couple of days really.  It will be rejuvenating.

I’m thinking of it as (an extended) Independence Day.