This summer, we didn't do any traveling. Bryce has a new job and doesn't really have the opportunity to take a week off yet (as he's only been there for maybe two months), and the summer got surprisingly busy, even without a trip.
I went to visit my best friend in Poughkeepsie, and we had my niece-ish and nephew-ish from Canada stay with us for a night (my stepfather's brother is only 7 years older than me, so even though these awesome kids are technically cousins, I feel more aunty-like with them), and Bryce's dad and his wife are coming for a long weekend later in August. I have been gardening up a storm, and taking classes for school (real light things like Therapeutic Behavior Management with Physical Holds and Youth Mental Health First Aid).
But I've missed going away somewhere.
So, we had a Camp Day yesterday.
What is a Camp Day?
It is a day with no phones, no computers, no devices (other than the Google Home that runs our thermostat (although that was off because it was lovely and cool) and our music through the creepy Google wiretap devices we have all over), no work that you wouldn't do if you were away at a camp in Maine.
It was real weird to lock my phone away, for the first couple hours, and then it was lovely. We read, played ping pong, went for a walk, went out to lunch, took a nap, rearranged some bookshelves in Bryce's office (okay, that one was sort of cheating, because we wouldn't have had our shelves at camp, but Bryce made the point that it's something he's WANTED to do for a while and work and PhD obligations make it impossible to get to, so could we pretend we had a portal to his office? Um, sure.), cooked a completely delicious dinner of scallops and farm stand produce salad and potatoes gratin and dry aged ribeye and some fancy wine from the rack in the "basement" -- and then we went to bed, full and tipsy and relaxed.
It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect (chilly, clear, and sunny), the food was perfect, the relaxation and enjoyment of our home was perfect. I realized how much I use my phone to waste time, and to take photos of what we're doing. I like having those photos to look back on, but it was oddly freeing to not be my own paparazzi.
I wish we could do a Camp Day once a month, a sort of technology detox retreat right here in our home. I feel so grateful to have the kind of life where a day with my husband in our house with nothing but books and music and food and wine (and ping pong) feels like a terrific vacation.
This sounds like an awesome day!! It would be fun to do on a rainy day as well, I might have to try this out!
ReplyDeleteAnd ooof, that sounds like some rough summer reading, the stuff from school. One of my good friends is a social worker and I remember her telling us all about those therapeutic holds and stuff. Sad it’s even necessary.
I was thinking of you the other day, wondering how Maebe was settling in and hoping she was doing a little better and more relaxed. I know how hard it can be to integrate new pets. (((Hugs)))
It was amazing! A perfect rainy day thing to do. The school classes were tough, in person things (I got all banged up from the holds class). The verbal deescalation day was freaking amazing though, super helpful, and probably not just for school! :)
DeleteOh, Maebe. I just wrote a post because you asked, one that's been banging around in my head but I didn't want to actually make real by writing it.
That sounds divine. I wonder if I could do it here? I may take up the challenge! The easy part would be not to be my own paparazzi. The hard part would be not wasting time.
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely! Slightly off topic- We have lots of google devices in our home too. Do you have a spotify account or how are you using it to play music?
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