“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life”
William Morris

I am a sucker for vacations. I always have one in the making. Always looking forward to the next one. I’m pretty much addicted. They are planned sometimes well in advance (the big ones), or spontaneously (the weekenders).

I often hear people make comments like “if you are always looking forward to vacations, there is something wrong with your daily life”,  or “You shouldn’t need a vacation to make you happy”.

So, I have given it some thought.  Do I look forward to vacations as my “escape from my life?”

My answer: Yes.

I love having something “big” to look forward to. I love the dreaming, the planning, the doing, the recording and the remembering. I love new foods, new places, new experiences. I especially love how relaxed we all are, the long talks, the long walks, the sunrises and stars at night. For me, especially given our blended family status, there is no better uninterrupted family time.

I simply love the escape from the daily routine of life (you know, the laundry, the cleaning, the rushing around getting everyone everywhere on time, packing creative lunches, always trying to catch up with work reports and emails, racing to my next appointment so I won’t be more than my usual 10 minutes late…that stuff).

However, as I pondered whether I was really “escaping” something from my life, I realized as much as I appreciate the change and the break from some of the more mundane, but necessary tasks, I actually love and crave so many everyday things:

I love picking my kids up from school (or camp in the summer). I look to the clock for the countdown.

I love sitting around the dinner table catching up on our day.

I love cheering by the sidelines as one of my kids play a sport.

I love getting calls and texts from my husband throughout the day.

I love getting texts from my kids throughout the day.

I love reading bedtime stories.

I love “last one on your knees, prayers please”.

I love going for walks (with Reggie now too).

I love having my hair tickled and styled while the kids beg to stay up later.

I love my weekly line up of TV shows.

I love my conversations with my Mom or one of my best friends.

I love taking a bath.

I love family nights.

I love family night treats even more.

I love the uninterrupted 15 minutes sitting beside my husband during the church sacrament on Sundays.

I love Wednesday night sushi.

I love hearing daily details of everyone’s day; the drama, the funny parts, the sad parts.

I love going to bed.

I love seeing my babes sleeping.

I love the nightly phone calls when my kids aren’t here.

I love watching movies or shows with my kids.

I love sitting on the porch.

I love sunsets.

I love hearing my kids laugh.

I love chocolate milk.

I love picking the lucky winner, and other nighttime routines.

I love reading blogs that inspire me.

I love hearing the sound of a train.

I love writing a blog.

I love taking a picture to capture the everyday.

I love reading a good book.

I love one of my kid’s telling me about a good book they are reading.

I love researching travel.

I just love so many little things. Many more than I have time to write.

All these little thing put together make me happy. It’s true, the real secret to happiness is finding joy in all the everyday things.

So, the fact that I love vacations, does not mean that I am trying to escape real life. They are just simply a part of all the things –  the little details in my life that make me happy.