Ah Summer. That time of year when many of us make an annual (or semi-annual, or occasional) pilgrimage back to wherever it is that we came from. I’m no different. I live in a place that is approximately 18 degrees cooler than hell in the summertime, so I do my best to escape the heat and head out of town for at least a week or so each summer. Well, my annual trek is coming up, so I’ve been doing some reflecting. You see, I come from a place of good food. Wonderful food, really. In fact my Facebook feed is full of hometown food every summer, placed there by my compatriots who have likewise made their annual trek and posted pictures of all the delicious things we grew up eating. It’s enough to make my mouth water on any given summer day. We all do it. We go home and we hit all the “hot spots” food wise. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s the feeling of comfort, maybe it’s the idea that we might never be there again. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a little bit crazy.

This time I want it to be different. If I want some of that creamy custard at the little stand down by the river, fine, but this time I’d like to take a long walk along the river first. If I want the wine and hors d’oerves at my friend’s pool party (and I do, I really really do), I’ll have to swim a few laps first. And maybe walk there. And maybe take a cab home. I’m escaping the heat to a place where it’s generally wonderful in the summer. Walks, bike rides, swimming, and tennis at the high school (my high school) are all available to me every day. I just need to reframe my idea of vacation from a non-stop feeding frenzy to an outdoor activity buffet. This should be easy to do, since I’ll have my son and my mom there, both of whom will do those activities with me. I know I can do this. Now let’s hope it doesn’t rain!