My family and I got home from the Gulf Coast just the other day, and it’s wonderful to be back. My wife, Lisa, and I have, as long as I can remember, held the belief that the best part of going away is coming back home.
Lisa’s an organizer. I’m not going to say she enjoys the planning and packing, per se, but she’s good at it and I think she finds satisfaction in it. There’s something to be said for unpacking once we’re back home, though. We try to do it quickly so we can settle back into our home routine without bags and boxes sitting around for days.
The drive down (it’s usually “down,” as in south to the coast from our home in north Alabama) is an organized affair, with everything in its place and an overall sense of organization. The drive back up, by necessity, has a degree of organization as well–just to get everything back into the car–but it’s not quite the same as that initial trip.
Settling into our destination is a lot of fun. Those first few days are exciting, and we do our best to relax and enjoy the time with family. We love being on the coast even more than being on the beach, and each day there is a pleasure. That said, there comes a time when we each start to think about being back home, and we begin to look forward to it.
And here we are, back home. Our youngest granddaughter has already asked if we could make a countdown chain for next year. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, but it won’t be long.
Yet There is Method 