Take a week off in the summer, but don’t go anywhere and you will experience a rainbow of highs and lows. Sometimes there’s nothing better than bumming around the house, hanging with the family, getting little projects done and doing some of the things that bring thousands of people here to the Nation’s Oldest City. Those are the highs. But a week at home – bumming around the house, hanging with the family, getting little projects done – can also come with some … lesser moments.
High: You can get up early each morning and go to the beach with your family before its gets too hot or the tourist hordes descend, snagging the best spots and soaking up all the seawater.
Low: Your family couldn’t get up and moving early if there was an earthquake rattling them out the door. Shoot, your idea of early differs from their idea of early by about 5 hours.
High: You can finally re-paint your daughter’s room, like you’ve been promising, which will bring great joy and a resounding sense of accomplishment and pride. Good job!
Low: You hate painting! I mean, you HATE it!!! Remember that time you stubbed your toe on a sofa and it tore your big toenail 3/4s of the way off? That was like a pleasure cruise in comparison. After you stopped screaming and finally regained consciousness, it slowly got better. But how can a little painting leave you sore in parts of your body you didn’t even know you had?!?
High: You can spend the whole day hanging out with your daughter.
Low: You find out that one of your daughter’s favorite things to do in the middle of the day on summer break is to blast Christmas music throughout the house because she was born on Dec. 26. Because that makes total sense!
High: It gives you the time to wander about the house spotting needs, issues and projects that need tending to.
Low: Those things would never in a million years be noticed by anyone else in the family but you. And now that you’ve pointed them out – and because some of them actually look like they could cause life-threatening, catastrophic damage in the house – you are expected to not only greenlight repairs and finish them during your week off.
High: You can lend a hand and become more useful around the house.
Low: This probably means you will be put in charge of carrying large quantities of toilet paper to re-stock the toilet paper holders in the bathrooms. Yep, livin’ the dream!
High: When you drive around with your wife running errands in the middle of the day, she will inevitably turn to you and say something along the lines of, “This is so fun! Usually I hate running errands, but I love doing it with you.
Low: When you think about it and realize that there’s no way she thinks you’re fun! No, what she really means is that you’re a great chauffeur and that she hates driving.
But look past the lows – and how you’re constantly ferrying toilet paper around the house – and a week at home sure can be a good time. (Provided you make it to the beach before 3 p.m. at least once.)