Rainy Daze ...

it's raining on my vacation.

"bummer", you may be thinking.

ahhh. not so.

in fact, it's awesome.

we took the "red eye" in to mexico from denver early tuesday morning.

we were checked in to the "crybaby" suite (i.e. the upgraded room next to the kiddy pool we've enjoyed on back-to-back trips by simply authentically suggesting to the desk clerk we didn't want the room far, far away from the pool) by 7am and with a brief nap we were poolside by 10am.

today, it's raining and i've realized how often i am really NOT present when i believe i am.

when it rains on vacation i slow way down.

there's an unspoken agenda when it's sunny to "get outside and enjoy the sun as quickly as possible."

when it's raining, you may find yourself wondering aloud if there's enough time to get the kids' breakfast before the buffet closes at 10:30 am. everyone sleeps late ...

when it's raining, you may find yourself diligently painting a crappy little pottery piece that we'll throw away in the move and debating the superhero powers of batman versus spiderman with your 4 year old son.

when it's raining, you may find yourself covered in virgin strawberry daiquiri juice that's been snorted through your 10 year old duaghter's nose when you turn your crappy little pottery piece around to her and let her know her mom's just turned the "sun face" in to "ronald mcdonald".

when it's raining, you may find yourself enjoying a 4 hour lunch with your kids discussing all the different ways there are to cannon-ball in to the pool. then you get to watch you 10 year old execute the maneuver just outside the seaside restaurant's window in to the pool in the pouring rain. to the delight of the entire restaurant.

when it's raining and you've spent 4 hours lazing in a seaside restaurant your 4 year son may announce to the entire restaurant that the man who just walked past in his speedo was wearing his "man panties outside".

mr. "man panties" didn't laugh. 10 year old daughter and mother did though.

when it's raining on vacation you just might find yourself meeting a very handsome 2 foot iguana along the path with your 4 year old son.

when it rains on vacation there suddenly isn't an agenda. any have-to's. there's a space of nothingness and in that space anything is possible.

the magic of life happens in the tiniest of moments. the magic of living an extraordinary life is being present enough to recognize them.

when it rains on vacation, that's all there is. magic in tiny moments. but THIS is what THAT feels like.

awesome.

now i get to take that feeling back home with me and experience it in the small moments of day-to-day life ... not just vacations.

and guess what.

i believe in that lies the trick to turning every day in to a vacation.

every day is my ideal day.

today is perfect.

okay. bye. gotta go eat candy with my kids in the rain.

~aunt bea says "hey".