Summer of love

I am approaching the end of my first week off for the summer. I have so many plans but so far I've been in a kind of vegetative state. I mean, I am capable of watching old "Sex and the City" episodes and laying in the sun for a few minutes a day, but that's about it. When the semester ends, I'm Jello. As much I love teaching, each semester sucks a bit of life out of me.

Oh the plans. I am going to write on my four blogs, put together some online editions of my journalism classes, read, remodel or move, cook, organize photos and files, spend time with my sister and her kids, visit the boys, and of course, spend time with the love of my life.

Michael and I have been doing some soul searching these last few months. We are at a point in our lives where killing ourselves at work is making less sense. We so love the time spent together, hanging out in cafes with friends, strolling, and just enjoying all of it. We especially love snuggling in bed with a good book, but sometimes work is so exhausting that we walk in the door and crash together on the sofa like a couple of zombies. Luckily, we both have the same body clocks so we awake at 3 a.m., ready to party.

I don't want to admit that I am getting older. I still feel like I'm 20, but I have to say that I do see things differently these days. Things that used to matter seem less important. I find myself asking lots of questions. Do I really need all this stuff? Do I really have to work this hard and what am I trying to prove, and to whom? Is denying myself bread and pasta really worth it? Is flying first class necessary? Well, scratch that last question.

Michael and I often joke that we would like to live in a grass shack on a beach in Hawaii for a while and just be. Or maybe take off to New York and find a little apartment where we can act like a couple of wild Bohemians, drink lots of espresso and wine and read and write books. Or maybe Paris near Saint-Germain. While these plans may seem a bit far-fetched to some, it keeps us going. Michael makes me believe that we can do anything, as crazy as it might sound. We would rather be known as a couple of old crazy people than give up.

Which brings me back to Michael, who said something to me as he left for work this morning that made me smile: "As long as I have you, I'm happy." Right back at you, sweetheart.

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." -Dougless Everett