Escape Gratitude by Angie Ledbetter

Today I'm far away from home and I feel as if I've grown wings, or more accurately, unfurled the shriveled dried up ones I've had pinned beneath my shoulder blades for too long.

With the kids solidly on their own two feet, or at least with their own means of transportation and a decent amount of reliable good sense, Mom has flown the coop.

I am grateful for this escape from home and all-the-stuff-I-have-to-do-each-day. To enjoy time away from the world and clocks with a friend is one of life's greatest pleasures. And I intend to savor every moment of my vacation without guilt and worry. In that way, I can pay proper homage to the gift of this time. I sincerely hope you are able to shake out your feathers and do the same sometime in the near future.

Daycations by Angie Ledbetter

Sometimes it's just not possible to leave home for a vacation, a dose of fresh perspective or battery-charging. When that happens, it's time for an at home daycation. The best thing about these surrogate escapes is they are free and easy to take. No gas or reservations needed. Here's how:

1.) Unplug all electronic and cellular devices as if you are disconnected from everything/everyone and in Tahiti or Bora Bora.

2.) Sleep in. (Stay up late the night before if that'll help you rise at a later hour the next day.)

3.) Have a leisurely brunch when you arise. Take a tray outside if that's pleasing, read a book while you eat, or munch in front of the TV.

4.) Take a long bubble bath. Snooze in the tub if possible.

5.) Watch a good movie on DVD or take yourself to the movie.

6.) Do NOT do any of your regularly scheduled chores!

7.) Play mindless games on your computer.

8.) Late lunch or early dinner with a friend.

9.) Complete your daycation with whatever your heart desires and you do not get enough of regularly: swimming, walking, lounging, napping, reading, etc.

10.) Before bedtime, put your next daycation date on your calendar!

I love and appreciate these stay-at-home "trips," and have one scheduled again in about a month. Hope you can plan one for yourself too.

The Get-Away by Angie Ledbetter

I'm in New Orleans and it feels surreal to be here. I have not been away from home in a really long time, so it took a day or so to begin to relax, to stop the constant worry over my kids and family. "What if something happens while I'm gone?" I've been asking myself. But since I committed to attending this writer's conference eight months ago, I might as well enjoy it to the hilt and try to have a little trust and faith. And if I'm needed back home for some reason, I'm only an hour away. This circular reasoning makes me feel a little better; a little more able to relax and enjoy the rhythms of a strange, good place for awhile.

The conference is being held at the Monteleone on the edge of the famous French Quarter. I wish everyone could visit here with its gilded appointments, luxurious rooms, view of the Mississippi River, rooftop pool and revolving bar - the Carousel. Horse-drawn buggies wait out on the street to take visitors and tourists to famous places. Five star restaurants and delicious hole-in-the-walls are steps away. A lone saxophone player makes music a few blocks down. In this area at least, Katrina's devastation is not noticeable.

I appreciate this vacation from reality and the people who have worked so hard to put the conference together, especially friend and writer, Deborah LeBlanc. I'm very grateful to be with friends, to have time to recharge my batteries, to meet with other crazy writer people, to pursue my dreams and goals. Thank you to the service industry people who made my trip wonderful. You made the hotel live up to its image -- "New Orleans' Timeless Address." I enjoyed learning a bit of your stories, and if I were a millionaire, I'd share my largess with you!

If you ever get a chance to visit New Orleans, consider stopping over at the Monteleone for a night, a meal or a drink as you spin slowly and unnoticeably around. You won't be sorry. http://http//www.hotelmonteleone.com/

Getaways by Angie Ledbetter

"Time for work - yet take much holiday for art's and friendship's sake." ~ George de Wilde

I'm thankful for this past weekend, as I got a chance to run away with women friends to a sleepy little bayou town for two days of communing with each other, nature, poets and other writers at an annual seminar.

There's always something interesting to learn, but more importantly, I get to experience the feel of a feather-soft bed and pillow, fresh coffee brewed in my hotel room, the relaxation of a couple hours' drive, the sharing of meals and thoughts with others whose company I greatly enjoy. I'm grateful for these opportunities and thankful they come my way a time or two every year. Even though I worry about what's going on at home -- this weekend was one of my son's Jr./Sr. prom and I missed the excitement of watching him don his first tux; sharing in my daughter's happiness in her new college life; the proudness I experience watching one son play school baseball and his brother compete in an State algebra tournament -- and in general, being available for all the mom things that happen every day of my "regular" routine, it was nice to be doing something different.

Without the very healthful and necessary-to-the-soul down times away to recharge my own personal batteries, I'm sure I wouldn't appreciate the never-ending stuff that goes on with my family nearly as much. As a bonus, upon my return, we gathered as a family to celebrate my dad's 71st birthday. What a way to end my mini-vacation!

All in all, a great weekend...one which I hope to repeat soon.

Manatee Therapy by Barbara Quinn

I was lucky to escape New York's winter for a few days. I visited Anna Maria Island, near Sarasota, on Florida’s west coast, in aptly named Manatee County home to many of the creatures. The beach was a short walk from my friend’s house, through a grove of banyan trees. The air was clean and soft, the sand silvery bright and so hard-packed that sneakers were the best thing to wear for walking. I didn’t sink into the sand. Rather, I crunched along the shell-filled surface.

Dozens of pelicans flew overhead and then dive-bombed straight down to the turquoise water to catch fish. The shells on the beach were tiny and pastel-colored, reminding me of the sunsets which were muted grays, pinks and blues. Apparently sharks like to feed offshore at sunset so I avoided swimming then and was happy to watch the dolphins cavort. Last year, an egret visited the house in the morning. He moved slowly, stalking insects, his white body in stark contrast to the greenery. A neighbor told me he’s partial to hot dogs. Maybe that diet did him in since he didn’t appear this year.

I enjoyed watching all the different wildlife: the lizards, the green parrots, the cormorants, ibis, herons, and most of all the manatees. I saw several of the huge, brown critters hanging out in local canals. These gentle, endangered creatures know how to live. They are herbivores who eat pounds of grasses in deep cool waters and then seek out the sunny shallow canals where they hang out near the surface to get warm, their brown bodies looking like stones rising out of the water. They’re big and lazy and staring at them makes you slow down too. I had no trouble making like a manatee, eating my fill of grouper and local fish instead of grass, and then lying down on the beach in the sun. It’s time to hit the treadmill before I am mistaken for a manatee.

The manatees are onto something. There’s nothing like plopping down someplace and watching what’s happening around you, especially when the place is warm and sunny. The worries and troubles of daily life slip away. Now that I’m home in winter I lie in bed at night and remember what it was like to sun myself on the beach. And instead of counting sheep I count manatees.