My So-Called Vacation — Interruption #46

If you missed my post last week about renaming my Substack from “Mom, Interrupted” to “Life Beyond Marriage,” you can learn more here.

This Saturday, I leave for a two-week “vacation.” I put “vacation” in quotes because the first week will involve three cities over the course of seven days, followed by a two-day road trip, followed by a week of co-habitation with eight family members.

During this time, I’ll be revisiting two cities I used to call home, introducing my long-distance boyfriend to my children, showing my kids the White House and the Statue of Liberty, connecting with old friends, meeting up with my stepson and bonus grandbaby, and joining my first family, along with various extended relatives, for our annual summer reunion.

I’m excited, and I also feel exhausted just thinking about it.

It should be noted that I brought this entirely on myself, and I have no business complaining. I conceived of the trip, planned the itinerary, purchased the plane and train tickets, reserved the hotels and rental car. But as our departure date approaches, I’m feeling the pressure for everything to go exactly as planned. I have not only invested many precious hours in the preparations, but I am also using half my annual PTO and spending way more money than I reasonably have to spend.

Also, I am traveling with children, embarking on a trip with many moving parts, and heading to a corner of the country where Canadian wildfires may render the air unbreathable.

I am quite sure nothing will go as planned.

If you are a subscriber on the free plan and would like access to all my posts, including this series with reflections on interrupting socialized defaults, please consider upgrading your subscription. If you’re a paying subscriber, keep reading to discover how I actually define leisure and why single motherhood has made me better at it.👇