Dedication...and vacation peace

This blog is costing me $6. That's because the resort where we are staying in Kissimmee FL is several years behind the times and still charges for internet access! I told one of their representatives what I thought of that, in no uncertain terms, and he assured me they were working to resolve it. I hope they hurry. In addition, I had to drive for about 5 minutes to even get access. This place is huge (1400 acres, I think) and there is not wireless access which covers the entire resort. So I had to come to the clubhouse of the "West Village" (we are staying in the "North Village"), ostensibly to use the business center, which is supposed to be open until 11:00. It, however, is having some sort of issue and therefore closed at 7 PM this evening. So I am sitting, literally, on a bench in the lobby watching a man clean the floor with a mini-zamboni type thing and one very unhappy woman complain rather animatedly about her room. Now you know for sure that I'm dedicated to providing (or attempting to provide) for you, my fearless readers, a daily blog in 2008.

So now I can get on to what I really wanted to talk about today. I have a new theory about one of the reasons people feel relaxed and at peace while on vacation. It's not the travel part to get there, that's for sure. We drove for about four and a half hours today...not a bad drive at all, length wise, but we dealt with traffic around Jacksonville FL, a sudden downpour, and then Orlando traffic and which-side-of-the-road-will-our-exit-be-on confusion. We made it to the resort in one piece, only to discover a line (I'm not kidding...and it was about 40 people long) to check in to the place. I guess that should make us feel good about the popularity of this particular home-away-from-home, but honestly, standing in line was not what I had in mind as the way to start a relaxing visit. Finally, the check in process itself of course included the requisite arm twisting to go sit through the "buy a timeshare" spiel. (Yes, we're going on Monday morning...the deal on Disney tickets was too good to miss. They promised it will only take an hour. I'm leaving after an hour, even if they are still talking.) Anyway, I'm still quite pleased with the accommodations here, in spite of the not-free internet access and stressful check in procedure. Why, you ask?

(Quick aside - I've retreated to a lovely quiet lounge, escaping the noise of the mini zamboni guy and angry lady. In case you were worried about my mental health...)

So back to what I was saying. The reason I'm still very happy with the resort is the villa itself. We are staying in a two bedroom, two bath condo unit. It is very well laid out, with efficient use of space, and the decor is colorfully tropical but not annoyingly loud (at least in my opinion). Here's where I get to my theory: one of the reasons that people relax on vacation (a reason which, I'm sure, most of them are not even conscious of) is the fact that in hotels, B&Bs, resorts, and even well maintained motels, the rooms, suites, units, etc. are soothing to the eye. Everything matches. There is no (or very little) clutter to create "visual noise". The spareness creates a sense of order which is harder to maintain in our homes, where the artifacts of daily living tend to cause untidiness which leads to a sense of disorder and confusion.

Here's John in the colorful, matching, uncluttered living room of our villa:


So that's my theory, and I, as they say, am sticking to it. Even if it's not true for anyone else, it is certainly true for me. Maybe I should tidy up the place when I get home...