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Today is the first day of spring break. My daughter’s spring break that is, grown-ups don’t get one. Well, maybe teachers, though my friends that are teachers say that most of their none student time is spent preparing lessons, and grading things.

When I first realized that our last full week before tour was going to be Trinity’s spring break week, I was sort of unhappy. The last weeks is a frantic creature. You are trying to find those last few items you need. Have we bought enough toothpaste, enough pairs of hose, enough of whatever we’re going to need. No matter how well you’ve planned things, you never remember everything, not until the last few days. Then you run around in this frantic last minute dash to get everything ready. We’re getting better at it. We’re not as frantic or last minute as last time, but it’s hard to keep the panic completely away. You try packing for a month, where you could be doing anything from mainstream television to goth, with a travel schedule that precludes dry cleaning in between cities most of the time, and see how well you pack. Put on top of that that you can’t wear just business dress, but need to look spiffy, or even formal at the drop of a hat, and it becomes a true challenge. Like I said, when I first realized this week was spring break I was wondering where my sanity would go, then I got to thinking.

If spring break had been after we left, what would Trinity have done? My ex-husband’s job is a regular office job. He can’t take off just because it’s spring break. His new wife’s job is much the same. Neither of them has the kind of work where they can just rearrange everything. Yes, Darla would have been here, but she has to work, too. She’d be busy holding down our little company without the two thirds of the employees. She’ll be a little frantic, herself.

But we are here. So Trinity is downstairs playing with the dogs, while I write this. Once this is done, we will go through her summer clothes from last year, and see what still fits. Then we will have to go shopping. All you with children understand that she’s grown since last year. She’s hit one of those growth spurts. I waited last year until we got back off tour to buy summer clothes for the kiddo, and it was picked over. A lot of cute stuff was out of her sizes. So I’ve learned you must shop for the season you want, before the season starts. Because, if you wait for summer to begin, there won’t be any summer clothes left. They’ll be fall clothes. I am one of those people that doesn’t actually think about clothes until I need them. But that is no way to shop in America. You must plan. Tour is actually helping we learn this things. Funny that.

We’ve already arranged one play date this week for Trinity with one of her best friends. It will be my last chance before winging off into the wilds of cities everywhere to see one of my very good friends, who just happens to be the mother of Trinity’s good friend. Nice how that works out.

I’ll probably arrange at least one more play date where munchkins come over to my house and rampage about. Alright, not rampage, it just sounds that way. I’ve got another day out planned, but haven’t been able to contact everyone. I don’t remember planning playtime being this much of a struggle when I was little. No one talked about play-dates. But then no one had their kids in every sport or activity known to man, either. We, by the way, do not have Trinity enrolled in gobs of after school activity. I believe sincerely that a child needs time to play, to think, to just be. Frantic activity is something you do when you must, not a way of life. I know as a writer that I need lots of time to just stare off into space. Sometimes I know what I’m thinking, sometimes I don’t. But I know that without this time, I wouldn’t be able to write, not like I do. Doing nothing is not a bad thing. Just as doing everything, can be a very bad thing indeed. Be brave, start a trend, relax, enjoy life for a change, let you and your kids, do nothing. See how it feels. My husband has just informed me that breakfast is ready. Got to go.