July 21, 2006

‘Get Away’

Summer vacations deserve a theme song

By Shana McLean Moore
Times Columnist

Whether you rock out to Lenny Kravitz’ version of the song “Get Away” or have been brainwashed by Radio Disney to prefer Hilary Fluff’s interpretation of the song, you can’t help but sing something when planning to get away. It’s just too happy of an event not to carry some sort of theme song with it.

Walking or, more to the point, skipping away from the monotony of daily chores and obligations is what keeps us all sane. True relaxation just can’t happen at home—for the moment we park our keisters on the couch, we make the terrible mistake of surveying our surroundings: the dirty socks the kids left on the couch remind us of the loads of darks, mediums and whites awaiting us in the garage; the curved empty glass left on the coffee table whispers that all seven of her sisters are stacked up in the kitchen sink; the ivy vine that tickles our cheek through the open window is a hint that the garden needs some T.L.C. (and a gallon or two of chemicals we can’t even pronounce).

So we get up and shuffle around again while postponing a relaxing read, a quiet conversation, a family board game, or a delightful mind-numbing movie that offers nothing more than a sweet escape. And we end up finishing most days more spent than a teenager’s first paycheck.

Then, along comes a much-deserved vacation.

Whether the family budget and calendar afford you one night under the stars at a campsite just over the hill, or you’re lucky enough for a week at a grand royal island getaway, you just need to heed the advice of a kindergarten teacher and “walk away from trouble.” While to our children this means to flee from the blacktop bullies, to us parents it means to skid the heck out of dodge in our Dodge Durango.

Why, you ask? Because even though many of our chosen destinations still carry the inherent chore-lite, like a cooked meal and a few dirty dishes, the big stuff stays home. Well, unless you like to camp—in which case, you’re a masochist, and you should skip to paragraph 7. Any woman who chooses to spend her vacation tent camping clearly needs more challenges in her everyday life. I’d be happy to offer up a few action items from my to-do list. (See? I told you to skip to paragraph 7. Now you’re mad.)

Indeed, with no grass to mow, no wallpaper to strip, no deck to sand and stain, vacation is all about relaxation. There are no play dates for the little ones to be shuttled to, or part-time jobs for the teens. There’s no swim team, no baseball games, no play practice. It’s simply the family with a lot of free time and a new location to explore—or, at the very least, to stare at in the comfort of a padded lounge chair.

Our family getaway is just around the corner, and Lenny and I have had plenty to sing about as I scurry around happily with the errands, laundry, and arrangements for the house and dog that will soon allow me to focus more on exhaling than inhaling.

In fact, you might have heard our duet through the open windows of my minivan as we drive around stocking up on sunscreen and Cheetos…“I want to get away. I want to fly away. Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Well, Len, I’m getting half my wishes. We’re getting away, but we’ll be spending our time on the highway rather than the skyway. You can’t have it all. But once we’re at the beach, savoring the fresh salt air, listening to the crash of the waves and enjoying the relaxed presence of our loved ones, it will be close enough for me.

Lets fade into the sun
Let your spirit fly
Where we are one
Just for a little fun
Oh oh oh yeah !

Especially when my spirit gets to fly back each night to a beach house complete with a coffee maker, DVD player and hairdryer. (Sorry. I should have had you campers skip all the way to the end.)

Shana McLean Moore lives in Almaden Valley and is the co-author of “Femail: A Comic Collision in Cyberspace” and the author of “Caffeinated Ponderings on Life, Laughter & Lattes.” For more information visit Moore’s Web site at www.caffeinatedponderings.com.