Trying to Avoid a Wall-e World

One of my all-time favorite movies is Wall·e. Like most of my other favorites (e.g., Princess Bride and Up), they are made for children but have messages that adults understand. At first glance, Wall·e may seem quite boring. Watching it in the elementary school cafeteria with our boys many years ago, I thought so too. Its “no-speaking” beginning had me yawning. The wastefulness, gluttony, and laziness displayed can also be disheartening. But they sprinkled in a little robot romance and message about protecting the Earth (even though it’s not the main message) and ‘Poof!’ it became a movie I talk about often.

I really want to minimize my footprint on this earth, but I have to admit that like any relationship it takes effort. I have to intentionally make decisions that aren’t always easy and sometimes might be uncomfortable. For example, we drove to Florida for vacation. Yes, I brought my refillable water bottle. No, I did not always refill it and sometimes drank bottled water. Every time I saw a plastic straw, I cringed, but accepted them more than I’d like to admit. Even though we brought a few reusable bags, we received plastic bags when we bought groceries. (We did use them for our recycling and in place of trash bags.)

Being on vacation and not in my normal routine or environment has also made me realize, even more, the waste that we as a society accumulate...the plastic cups and straws at restaurants, the trash on the beach, and the many landfills along the highways. But I have also witnessed positive signs...people picking up trash on the beach (even when it was not theirs) and recycling bins in many locations (often overflowing but being used). These examples do give me hope that our Earth will not become a Wall·e environment, at least in my lifetime. So I will continue to do my part in taking care of my small part of this planet as well the parts of it that I don't call home.

Update on My 50 List

• Went to a Red Wings game at Little Caesars Arena, but without Elliott. While it was supposed to be his 18th birthday gift, he and his hockey team decided to play so well this year that they won a spot in the Division 1 State Semi-final game. He obviously was not concerned about going to the game with us.
  
• In February I tried a chimichanga. Not too far out of my comfort zone as I love Mexican food, but I had not tried one before. Bonus is that while doing so, I spent some girlfriend time with my friend, Micki. February was actually a great month for girl-time as I went to the movies with Kim, had lunch with Karen and Tami, spent a weekend in Harbor Springs, and did a snowshoe hike with the ladies from my neighborhood! In March, Amy, Libby, and I went to the high school play, Legally Blonde. It was awesome!
• I completed my last course and renewed my teaching certificate.
• I got a couple of weeks behind in recording in my gratitude journal, positive things about me document, and inspirational notes sent. Back on track this week. 
• I can officially say that I’ve been attending a yoga class regularly and I’m counting it as one of my five days a week for exercising. Other days include walking/running, swimming, and/or lifting. 
• My first 5k run/race toward the 50k has been completed.
• Blog post for March ✔ 

Family Vacations

We recently returned from a family vacation to Ft. Myers Beach, FL for Spring Break. I love to go away with my family. It doesn’t matter if it’s a day trip, weekend trip, or an actual “get out of Michigan” vacation. Over the years I have realized how important vacations are for relationships.

Our vacation began by leaving late afternoon on a Thursday. The five of us left in our 168,000-mile, somewhat five-seater Santa Fe vehicle. Fortunately, our 55 pound chocolate lab was the fifth passenger, and she was getting dropped off four hours down the road. The traffic was light, the weather was clear, and we were making good time. After leaving the dog with some very good friends, we were on our way to warmer weather. My husband and I prefer to drive through the night when we drive to Florida. The traffic is lighter, and by the time we get tired, it is beginning to get light out and a new day is beginning. After 20 or so hours of driving, we arrived at a hotel to spend the night. Reaching this first leg of our trip at 1:00 in the afternoon was awesome as we sat by the pool in the warm sun, relaxing our crowded minds.

When we reach Florida the next day, we were definitely in vacation mode. While there, we spent time at the beach, time at the pool, and time with friends and family.  My husband was able to fish, I read, and the boys did what teenage boys do on vacation…have fun. No matter where we go on vacation, how we get there, or how long we stay, I always appreciate the time we get to spend together, away from the daily grind of life. Even cooking, doing dishes, or washing clothes on vacation seems easier than at home.

Our vacation this year was even more special to me due to the

relationships we sustained. We were able to see my husband’s brother, who actually lives in Montana. He happened to be working a couple of hours from where we were staying. We also

spent time with two of my husband’s uncles and a cousin, who he hasn’t seen in over 13 years. The time we spent with friends was just as enjoyable as the time we spent with family. Isn’t it ironic that we have to go on vacation to find time to spend with friends from home?

This may sound like the perfect vacation, but I don’t think we’ve ever had one. The trials we endure on vacation are just as important in building our relationships as the fun parts. Driving home to Michigan from Florida on I-75 after the Easter holiday week is like waiting in line for a ride at an amusement park. You don’t move very fast and you see the same people (cars in this case) over and over again. While my husband has little patience for this type of driving, even I was getting frustrated with how long it took us to just get out of Florida. We had planned on spending the night somewhere on the road, but we had lost so much time that we decided to push through and drive through the night. As difficult as this was, the fact that we were able to spend a stress-free day at home, before our busy schedules of school and work, was worth it.

We’ve had other vacations that were less than perfect. The Christmas my husband and I got engaged, we were driving from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan to the Detroit area. As we were crossing the Mackinac Bridge, the 1968 Ford truck we were driving started to make a humming noise. Within five miles after crossing the bridge, one of our back tires rolled past us into the median. We’ve had plenty of mishaps on our sailing vacations as well. There’s a running joke that we honor the water gods every year because we lose something overboard. Sometimes it’s a small thing like a tool or a towel, but there have been much bigger items like the grill grate or the dinghy. On every two week vacation we’ve attempted, we’ve realized that nine days is our family’s max. By day nine, my husband wants to sleep in his own bed, the boys miss their friends, and I want to get back to some normalcy in our lives. Even with all the trials, I look back at these times and am thankful that we continue to go on vacation.

We may not have had any vacations like the Grizwold’s (i.e., Chevy Chase’s family vacation movies), but even with the disagreements over where to eat, worrying about spending too much money, and situations beyond our control, I wouldn’t trade any of the time we’ve spent together as a family. Every time together is an opportunity to learn more about each other. It’s a chance to create memories that we can tell to our children or grandchildren. It’s the sense of pride in knowing that we endured some discomfort and survived…while having fun in the process (well, at some point we had fun). I’m looking forward to the next vacation, wherever it takes us.

Miles driven: 3,500

Eating at fast food restaurants: $200
Gas to drive 50 hours in a smallish car: $500
Watching my family while they sleep in the car: Priceless