Steffblogg: Things I learned on my summer vacation

Our vacation this year was different. There were no passports, foreign language phrase books, no culture shock. There wasn't even a plane - Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont are perfectly accessible by (rental) car. Our goals this time were different, too. Instead of exotic places and the thrill of "discovery" we hoped for time together and pleasure in timeless activities. Ride a boat. Walk in the woods. Swim in a lake. See some stars.

As always, I had all sorts of little thoughts and came to all sorts of new conclusions while on our trip. The big ones:

1. My identity is pretty fragile, apparently. I slip into a new one every time I leave home.

It happens every time. In Bavaria, I dreamed of owning a vacation cottage there and skiing every winter. This time, in New Hampshire, I decided that we need to have a vacation cottage someday. Something small and simple on a quiet lake. We'll furnish it with rummage sale finds, eat on a plastic dinner table. We'll escape! Weekends at the lake! No internet, no to-do lists. In Vermont I decided that we need to live in Vermont. Small towns and solar panels! Mountains and cool, quiet mornings. We could go hiking every weekend. Imagine that.

2. Escape is just as important as experience

We are normally cut off from our world when we travel. We had the option to stay plugged in this time... and I yanked that power cord as quickly as I could. Turns out I need to drop off the face of the earth from time to time.

3. The simpler we keep things, the happier I am.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss our old way of traveling. Every time I saw a pack of young, childless people setting off on some long hike, tents on their backs, I sighed to myself. Embracing this new way of vacationing though, I discovered real joy in slooooowing down. Keeping things simple and thrilling in simple things. Playing in sand under the sunshine.

Walking in the woods.

Plopping down in the grass and exploring at leisure.

Just being together. No interruptions. Nothing else we "should" be doing.

Swimming. Nothing beats swimming.

Tire swings. Those are wonderful, too.

We will never see every place under the sun. We can never have every experience. The moment I let go of these ideas, ideas I had never even realized I was holding on to, I freed myself up and learned how to just be where I am. What a wonderful feeling.

4. That being said, I'm still not going to do NOTHING.

My favorite quote is from Goethe. "Do not hurry, do not wait." While I think I did a good job with the "do not hurry" part this vacation, I also saw no point in waiting around. Carousel rides!