An Introvert’s Dream Vacation

We had several really great trips on the books for this summer. My husband’s business conferences usually picks very desirable locations. And we had even looked forward to one set of kids (a son and daughter-in-law) joining us for a week in Colorado Springs.

But of course none of it happened.

And yet we didn’t want to completely lose the vacation time with our kids. And my husband desperately needed a break. So we booked a friend’s Airbnb lake house in East Texas and took off.

Sunset over Lake Fork

Five days of uninterrupted bliss! Not only was it incredibly restful to be in a house (not a condo!) where we weren’t guests (I mean, technically we were guests, but our “hosts” weren’t on site, so we were on our own), we didn’t even come within shouting distance of anyone the entire trip. Therefore, no masks. None. And that was a vacation in and of itself!

Lazy lake days

We were fortunate that August took an uncharacteristic dip in temperature during that time, too. Instead of seeking out the AC by mid-morning, we were able to linger in the shade on the deck or the dock well into the afternoon.

Sadie chickened out, but the rest were brave.

Everyone took a turn on the kayak except me, because I saw those fish jumping and the turtles poking their heads out! While Sadie, our kids’ 7-month-old golden retriever (who lives in an apartment!), had a blast in the water. She even got brave enough to jump from the dock!

It took a little coaxing, but in she went!

We played horseshoes. We read. We played Scrabble. We read. We walked and talked and laughed and napped. And we read.

We watched baseball and basketball (which none of us get at our house!). We read. We made dinner, made s’mores, made cookies. And we read.

S’mores! Yum!

We were sad our daughter-in-law had to leave after 2 days to go back to work, but our son and the dog stayed on and enjoyed the quiet with us.

We played corn hole. We read. We walked and talked and kayaked. And napped and read some more.

After five days of both good conversations and lots of quiet, we felt rested, ready to face to our COVID-crazy world.

We won’t forget this vacation for a long while. We didn’t see historical sites or eat fabulous food, just read and thought and talked. We didn’t spend the days in majestic nature, just an ordinary lake with grass and trees. We didn’t stay at a luxury resort, just a nicely cozy log cabin.

And our introvert souls were at peace.

Have you been able to find a place of peace during the crazy that is 2020? At home or away from home? With others or alone? Please share!