Creating an All-Inclusive Life

Vacations are great, but the goal is to build a life that doesn’t depend on them.

I haven’t said much about the fact that my personal Fat Tomato Summer kicked off at an all-inclusive resort with Cory’s entire family in celebration of his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. It’s where I turned 50, in fact. It was a short seven weeks ago, but feels like seventeen. Even my splotchy sunburn/tan combo has faded.

For six days, we dutifully completed our chores.

1. Wake up without an alarm

2. Proceed directly to swimsuit

3. Sidle up to the buffet for “breakfast”

4. Pool + umbrella reading

5. Sidle up to the buffet for lunch

6. Pool + umbrella reading

7. Fastest shower + throw on a dress

8. Dinner with everyone

9. Instantly fall into a deep, restorative sleep

10. Repeat

The all-inclusive ethos is that everything you need exists on resort grounds. In a “sad” departure, Cory went looking for a LONG-SLEEVED and HOODED swim shirt but the gift shop was out of his size.

But the raw materials to get us through each day truly were within reach. Comfy beds. Loungers by the pool. Fresh towels. Great company. And, of course, plentiful food.

Upon returning home (the best part of any trip) I wondered if there was a way to hold onto even one loose thread of that ease while embracing the ordinary complexities and challenges of land-locked living. Could I find a way to sleep as soundly as I did on vacation? Might I embrace the capsule (aka suitcase) wardrobe and simplify my closet in the process? Was there a way to achieve a more serene aesthetic in my home?