Take a vacation

I like things simple and that includes vacation. With three children, flying to Europe (or flying anywhere, for that matter) doesn't ring relax and renew - or reasonably priced - to me. So, for the last 15 years or so we have packed up the minivan and driven to a beach on the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Not just any beach. We go to a place steeped in history, a former resort hotel on a private peninsula called The Glades. In the mid-1800s, several old Boston families, including direct descendants of President John Adams, bought the hotel and surrounding structures and divided them into shares.

The Glades, Minot, MA

In high school, I spent two summers living at The Glades as a mother's helper for Pete and Sherry Adams and their three boys. The youngest, Rhett, just married at the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy, MA. His bride wore the veil of First Lady Abigail Adams.

We rent the apartment next to Pete and Sherry - one half of the walk-out basement of the main building. My father used to lovingly call it a "dump" - you know, peeling paint, exposed pipes, beds everywhere, a few harmless bugs. It workd for me. The apartment comes stocked with toys, games and books, and you never have to worry about ruining anything. Not to mention, the ocean hits the break wall about 12 feet from the bedroom and living room windows.

My daughter Rachel

It is the simplest of vacations. No cable. No internet. No work. We swim, climb rocks, jump off rocks at high tide, walk on sandbars at low tide, ride bikes, read books, cook and watch the sunset. For excitement we drive into town for ice cream.

I love it. The kids love it. Even our dog Jasper loves it. A whole week away. To do NOTHING. We could go into Boston or visit Plymouth Rock, but rarely do. Once at The Glades, you just don't want to leave.

Jasper rolling in the sand

While wonderful, you don't have to travel to a beach or big city or foreign country to take a vacation. I have friends who camp around the corner at Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville, NY for their break. It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you go. Science shows that taking a vacation allows the body to replenish and repair itself.

In a survey of 1,400 people, the Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center found that leisure activities, including taking vacations, contributed to higher positive emotional levels, less depression, lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines. All of which contribute to our peace of mind.

A good sunset helps, too.

Looking toward Boston from The Glades

(Photos by my daughter Mari)