Thursday, July 19, 2012

What I Learned On My Vacation

I feel like I’m back in Catholic grammar school, standing in front of the classroom and sharing what I did on my summer vacation.

Well, I had an awesome time! Not only was I able to spend quality moments with my mother and brother (which I will share about in future posts), but I also had the opportunity to learn a thing or two.

Two weeks ago, I was soooooo ready to take this vacation because I was at a point where I needed to get away and be in a different environment – I needed a change.

Here are some things I learned….

Driving:

It was such a novelty for the first couple of days to drive a car again after not being behind the wheel in 11 years. Yet, I remembered something…..I HATE DRIVING. Actually I don’t hate driving, it’s just that I hate the fact there are other drivers on the road when I’m driving. If I could drive alone, I’d be fine. And I’d forgotten how horrible some people in Florida drive because not only do they move slower than a turtle on Valium, but they’re constantly riding their brakes, so if you’re driving behind them you can’t tell whether they’re going to stop and turn or if they’re just testing their brakes for the hell of it. But I was proud of myself because I only lost my temper once at a traffic light, when the driver in front of me waited for like an HOUR to move after the light turned green. I honked my horn and yelled, “HOW MUCH GREENER DO YOU WANT IT TO GET? MOVE, YOU FREAKIN’ TURD!!!!!”


Flying:

Yes, I’m a born again flyer! I can’t tell you how happy I am that I decided to take the plane rather than the train to Florida. I feel so liberated because I no longer have that gut-wrenching fear in the pit of my stomach about flying any longer. I can honestly say that I actually love to fly again. And this is even after leaving West Palm Beach Airport on Monday morning in STORMY skies. We had quite a bit of turbulence for the first hour of the flight, but I DID NOT experience white knuckles or feel the need to grab the vomit bag in the back pouch of the seat in front of me.  And I have to say, Southwest Airlines is truly one of the nicest airlines I’ve ever flown. They made the experience very enjoyable and comfortable.


Summer:

Something has come over me this summer. As most of you guys know, summer has never been my favorite season because I abhor being hot. However, I tried a little experiment this year and instead of resisting, fighting, and resenting summer, I changed my outlook and decided to embrace it; seeing the fun in it. Even before I left Philadelphia two weeks ago, I started enjoying this summer. Grant it, I still abhor being hot but hey, it’s only for 3 months each year. And besides, it makes me look forward to fall and winter!


Grass:

As I shared at the beginning of this post, I was beyond ready for a change in environment when I took this vacation. And somewhere in my head I thought that once I revisited Florida, I would have the desire to move back because quite frankly I was getting sick of Philadelphia – the people, their negative and unhappy attitudes, and just the overall unconsciousness of this city. I started to think that perhaps it was just this city.

But do you know what I learned?

All that sunshine, warm weather and palm trees don’t make people in Florida any different from the people in Philly.

The people there are the same people here.

There are negative, unhappy and unconscious people everywhere in this world. And I needed this experience to show me that.

On the last night of my vacation, my mother asked me, “Ronnie, do you think you’d ever move back to Florida?” And I was honest with her.

I loved the 20 years I spent living in Florida; cherishing fond memories. And I had the most excellent time visiting my family again. But I realize that I’m a true northeast, city person. I love that we experience four seasons. I love that I no longer have the need for a car and that I can walk everywhere. I love that I can be in NYC within two hours. I love that everything here is not pristine and perfect-looking because I like the gritty rawness of the Northeast. I love the deep history that comes from this part of the United States because it’s old and has a rich past. I love its terrain.

And if I decide to move to another city on this coast, it won’t be because I’m trying to escape something that’s inevitably everywhere; it will be because I simply know it’s the right time to move.

The Northeast coast is where my soulful roots are.

In my heart of hearts, I feel like I belong here.

Yup….it’s home.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

I will be back to my normal posting schedule next week…X