Winter Vacation

Once every year, I go out to Milwaukee, WI over break. I always look forward to coming out here to see my Dad's side of the family, for some many reasons. One, is that I can totally let go from everything in my life when I come out here. Every morning, I'm welcomed with waffles and Aunt Jamima syrup. A huge television, and a comfy couch. The Wii game system lets me forget about all my troubles, and the close by movie theatre, and candy shops do aswell. Though, as you can imagine, there's no time to do the thing that really allows you to let go and forget about all your troubles, better then any of the regualr activities I do at my cousin's house. Read. There's no time. I'm always being called over to play Rock Band, watch a football game, log on to Facebook on this beautiful computer.

Another thing I do once a year, is go near the Berkshires, to a small area called Hillsdale. Here, is one of my mother's best friend's country house. Here, there is a T.V, but one that does not have cable. Here, are laptops, but most are being used by our parents. So here, I have an excellent reason to read, and so much more time to do so. So I have to compare, because I am now in Wisonsin, not really reading as much as I could, and in a couple weeks, my family and I might be going out to the 'Hillsdale House,' where I plan on reading 600 books in the short week we are there.

Well, now that I'm done with entry, and this observation, I think I'll go read.

Excuses

I love to find excuses to read. That way I feel safe. That everyone around me knows not to bother me. To let me be. Because if I get a good excuse, I can read for hours.

On Sunday, I unleashed one of my many qualities of a klutz, and fell at the ice skating rink in Prospect Park. My mom not in sight, I tried limping and skating at the same time which didn't work at all. I crawled over to a bench, not making eye contact with the dad I knew from somewhere or other. I blinked back the tears, and finally saw my mom's familiar brown coat in the distance. I dragged myself to the entrance gate a desperately waved and called her name. She looked over, but it was my six year old sister who reached me first.

"What happened??" She questioned. I just looked at her, I didn't have the strength to answer her. My mom came to me then and lifted me off my feet to carry me to a bench. I started crying at once. While telling my mom everything that happened, I realized that I was the only one in the family who had never severely injured herself. I didn't know what it felt like to be hurt badly somewhere in the body. We drove home, and I was carried to my room where I was greeted with a bag of ice and a pillow to elevate me leg.

My dad came into the room, and sat down next to me. Just the simple strokes of his fingers made me feel better. He leaned over to reach for my book, and a smile came across my face. I read for so long, that I could feel my knee thawing off from the ice, not necessarily the effect my parents were looking for from it. But I simply didn't care. In what seemed like ten minutes, I had gone from page one to page 36.

I always look for excuses to read, and sometimes I don't at all. Sometimes it's good enough to just sit down and read. Sometimes all you need is a great book, an ice pack, and a sprained knee.