It seems like every fall break for as far back as I can remember, we have taken a trip to the beach. I have always loved squeezing in one last week of “summer” before the weather turns cold here in Knoxville. In many ways, it feels like the last week to truly unwind before the never-ending onslaught of holidays and busy schedules is upon us.
However, this year I was struggling to find it in my budget to plan a beach trip, or to justify the expense of a trip to anywhere, really. We’ve had to devote our funds to some very un-fun but necessary sorts of expenditures lately, and I was worried that my kids would be so disappointed when I told them that we would be staying home for fall break.
Instead, the opposite was true.
They both seemed to sigh with relief, feeling grateful that we would have some slow mornings in our pajamas at home with no particular place to go. The first quarter of school has been exhausting for them, and they were feeling ready for some empty calendar days that would afford them the opportunity to choose their own adventures.
And so, we stayed behind in Knoxville for fall break, while seemingly 90% of the rest of the city evacuated to one coast or another for the week. At first, I was still feeling a bit of latent embarrassment at our lack of traveling plans. It seemed like everyone kept posing the question, “What are your plans for fall break?” and all I could do was shrug and admit that we were planning to stay close to home. Then, during those first couple of days, I began seeing all of the social media posts featuring beaches and cruises and theme parks as so many people that I knew reached their vacation destinations, and a little bit of FOMO set in.
However, I seemed to be the only one feeling it.
My kids aren’t on social media, after all, so their spirits weren’t dampened by the comparison game. They were excitedly counting how many days they had off of school, and requesting to do things like build a blanket fort in the living room and lounge inside of it for a movie night. Their suggestions also included having a night where we could eat ice cream for dinner. Or swimming at the Cove if the weather was warm enough. We went to the library and cleared out their entire shelf of Wimpy Kid books, bringing them back home and binge-reading them throughout the week. We also went hiking in the mountains and got the chance to see the first few glimpses of fall color for the season. Everything we did was incredibly ordinary, but it all felt extra magical with the backdrop of the fall season and the limited taste of freedom that the week gave to us before we return to school.
