Freudian Slips: Vacation Getaway

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Location: Irony, New Jersey, United States

Life takes us many places. It's a box of chocolates and a Hansel and Gretal trail of candy wrappers. I have filmed as an actor in The Happening, Invincible, The Lovely Bones, The Bounty Hunter, The Greek American, Bazookas, Limitless, TV's Its Always Sunny in Philly, Outlaw, New York, The Warrior, The Nail, Game Change, Cold Case, & commercial work includes The Philadelphia Eagles, Septa, Coors, Turbo Tax & Carnival Cruises. Freudian Slips spotlights irony in short story format.

June 09, 2005

Vacation Getaway

It was Christmas Day in the workhouse. -George Robert Sims
Depending on your perspective, I am on vacation from work this week. By my own choosing, I have grown into the annual habit of taking one week of vacation by myself. I engineer the timing of this grand event in June before the kids get out of school. So with the wife working and the kids receiving their educational entitlements, the big house of a hundred things to do is all mine. I never go away for this week so where do I start? In anticipation of this week long workfest, robust mental faculties are always utilized to round out a prioritized chore list. Err...my vacation consists of cranking the stereo and doing house projects. What a fireball of forty something homebody fun I am, huh? In actuality, projects are relaxing and I enjoy keeping up the appearance of our house. During my vacation I have stepped away from the house to play tennis, catch a Phillies game, go out to lunch with friends, and take in a movie the wife didn’t care to see. I stepped away long enough to convince myself that I am not an indentured slave to my own home.
I completed most of the wretched items on my pre-fabricated checklist by Thursday. I have laid sod, done concrete work, replaced wood decking, weeded all the gardens in our yard, washed second floor windows on a 25 foot ladder, scrubbed down the stucco, pruned trees, caulked anything that didn't move, and gave the hedgerow a precision haircut using my laser level. And that was just the outside work. I endured the high humidity and the humiliation of working in my beekeeper’s suit and nearly paid dearly without it whenever I left caution to the wind(see June 5, 2005 posting called School of Hard Knocks). All I have left to do is sand and paint two wooden porch rockers then cook side dishes for two upcoming picnics. Not bad.
A sense of completeness must have settled in because I found myself sitting on the porch tonight just enjoying an ice topped glass of lemonade. The farthest tool rested at a good ten feet away. The last bit of mortar was drying as darkness preyed upon the land. It felt good to relax and take in the sightlines of my own hard work. That is when my son came outside and just stared at me. Unless I am hunkered down at the computer, I suppose he is not used to seeing me idle. He kind of paced behind me for less than a minute.
“I don’t know how you have the attention span to just sit still like that and do nothing. I would be bored out of my mind!”
Sometimes doing nothing is harder than the actual work. Doing nothing isn’t for everyone and it can be overrated.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Erin said...

Rather than a 'to-do', I like my 'have-done'. It looks better!

12:49 PM  
Blogger Joe Tornatore said...

Erin,
My wedding vows included the words "I do." Guess I took it literally.

1:26 PM  
Blogger Lost said...

Kids. They just don't get the value of vegging out - they also don't appreciate a good nap either. lol

2:42 PM  
Blogger eatmisery said...

Momentary idleness gives your body a chance to catch up to your mind. Or vice versa. My Dad is the Master if Idleness...so much that I created business cards for him that title him a "Leisure Expert."

Enjoy the quiet times. They don't come often enough.

3:21 PM  
Blogger justrose said...

wow, good for you. you got a ton done! i am envious of your industriousness.

4:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Justrose, I'm envious, too! Once in a while, I wish he would come over to my house, and be my (wish-for)....to-do man/woman. And I want to tell you, Joe, how very proud I am of you. You turned out to be quite a wonderful man, in spite of all your adversities. Do I sound like a proud Mama? ET

5:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe,
A laser level to prune the hedges?

7:07 PM  
Blogger Joe Tornatore said...

Lost,
Thought you Lost your way to my blog. Hope things strightened out for you.

Eatmisery,
I shall worship no idle.

Justrose,
I write less than you, that's all.

Zelda,
Just keeping OCD life on the level.

9:30 PM  

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