AFTER 40 YEARS â—½ MARRIAGE
One Night Away
by Marcy Lytle
Last month on the 4th, we packed up and spent ONE night at a downtown hotel so we could watch the fireworks. I don’t recall the last time we packed up for just one night away. Usually it’s a full weekend trip or a vacation…but both of us wanted a night out and a breather…so we did it!
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Of course, we always want our times away to be “perfect,” but we’ve realized over the decades that something always causes irritation, even on our best behavior days. However, we have been slowly learning to stop before these irritations escalate into booms!
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We started out renting a paddlewheel Swan boat on the lake in the center of town. He pedals faster than I do, and there was seaweed we had to avoid, and it was HOT. But the rental company loaned us the cutest tulip umbrella to shade us. It was fun, even though we stayed up under a shady bridge most of the time.
After that, he said it was only a few blocks to the shopping district and we would then look for lunch. I was “hangry” and that’s never a good thing. So I picked a Mediterranean restaurant and I wanted to eat outside. He did not. So we ate inside, but it was super cold and the menu wasn’t what we were looking for so I said, “Let’s leave.” I’m pretty sure he was embarrassed, but I was not, so out the door we went.
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Already, our differences, that have been with us all these years, were still present - but we navigated.
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Finally, it was time to check into our hotel, and we rested in the cool AC in our room with a river view. Well, that calmed us both down as we rested and chilled, and watched a one hour show – which he liked – and I did not. Are you getting the vibe here?
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We decided on dinner at the hotel, and we both agreed (imagine that) that it was way too hot by now to sit outside, and I found us a spot by a window inside. Something I always look for! His food was good and mine was a disappointment (story of my life.) However, they offered free chips and salsa (because it was the 4th) and that was fun.
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Up to our room, we discovered that we could definitely see where the fireworks were going off, and we moved the sofa, pulled back the curtains, and settled in close together, to get ready for the show. The day had been long and we’d had little skirmishes, but nothing that caused an uproar, and now we were snuggly and cozy with a view – with no mosquitos, no crowds, and no humidity. We’d found the perfect spot to the end the day.
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The next morning was breakfast al fresco (made me happy), a short walk, and we opted for Tiny Pies for lunch – where we were both delighted.
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I decided to write about our weekend away, because sometimes it’s just quite necessary to get away from your familiar surroundings, even if it’s it just a few miles down the road. A different window, different food, a different bed, and different things to do are keen. And while even the best planners (I’d like to think I’m one of those…) don’t get it right all the time, and even the most romantic of couples don’t agree of a lot of things, and even though there are days that are hot and unbearable outside…these all can give way to the coziest and cool nights inside…at the end of the day.
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We get away a lot, and I think we’d both agree that it’s good…skirmishes and irritations and heat…and all.