[Anne] Spring Break

When I was young, beautiful and very smart, I was also well organized. Somewhere along the way, in a life that I thought was well- structured, ambitious and meaningful, I was pinpointed as a disruption in the universe and since that time, the universe has been throwing chaos my way to prove a point about how systems operate. The universe and I have been in a fierce battle since then.

As a woman in the 20th century, one of the things that I thought I could prove to the universe was that it is my constitutional right to control reproduction. The universe started giggling and within a month of getting married, the universe bellowed that those raised Catholic don’t get off that easy with reproductive rights. Still not content that it had proven its point, the universe made sure that my next two children would be born in March, because it knew that that would also be the month that I would be responsible for ending a fiscal year, and the educational systems would give a week of vacation.

I have never planned a Spring Break vacation for my family because the universe got all snippety about free will and such. One year, in an attempt to provide a relaxing Spring Break, I had the tonsils taking out of Youngest Child, forcing her to celebrate her Spring Break AND her birthday on the sofa eating ice cream. She still is pretty annoyed by that , so much so that this year when I told her that her new glasses would be her birthday present, she was not sure if I was joking or serious.

As Oldest Child was coming home to relax for Spring break this year, Husband decided, at the last minute, to take us out to remote west Texas for a long weekend. I was leery and reluctant, but honestly, I thought this might be my chance to redeem myself. The kids were just shocked that we might actually do something for Spring Break.

We loaded up and drove four hours out to the middle of mesquite tree infested nowhere. The ranch where we stayed did not have running water for the first day, and once we got the water working, then only about half of the taps actually worked. It was 375 acres of rocks, dry, dry dirt, a meandering creek and wildlife. We spent our days walking, exploring, fishing, and listening to the quiet. The boys walked about with axes, guns, knives and fishing poles. And despite the lack of running water and the “creepy “ bathroom accommodations, even the girls had a great time.

Because the universe was just right there. All quiet and pretty and not fighting me. Not even taunting me. Just being calm and relaxing.

It did remind who was boss, by sending feral hogs out to circle us as we were fishing one afternoon. But for once, it did not have to prove anything to me, and so the hogs went on their way, and the universe continued to undulate the peaceful rhythms of life.

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[Anne] The Words We Use Are Powerful
[Anne] Husband and I have a Special Way to Torment Our Kids
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