Auguste Renoir, Figures on Beach, 1890

Lucky people, like myself, get the opportunity to escape. Runaway from the textbooks, emails, essays, and worksheets. I am truly thankful for the gift of running away. This summer I took a break from work and set my sights on a wonderful surprise vacation to Michigan. There, I was going to stay at my favorite Uncle Sam's at Bear Lake with my cousins. Now, I love my immediate family, don't get me wrong, but going just for me was pretty awesome. I adore my cousins and sometimes I need a little Natalie time, so getting both meant it was a guaranteed blast.

Bear lake has all of the essentials for a great time, and none of the annoying crowds of people to ruin it. The small body of water is man-made, same with most of the 1,200 lakes in Michigan, but this one seemed especially created for my family. The lake has a few rules though: No gas powered water vehicles before 11 a.m. and nothing past 9 p.m., all boats must go in the same direction around the lake, and no more building houses (that last one really doesn't matter much, but it's still a rule). The 11a.m. take off time allowed for some long hours of well deserved sleep, and the boats cruising in the same direction flowed like a carousel rotating to the sound of the waves crashing on the dock.

My personal favorite activity, tubing, became our source of exercise for the day. We managed to break the rope, flip over twice, and give my cousin some serious whiplash. All was in good fun, and worth the soreness that morning brought from our battle scars with the water. The trip itself did its job perfectly, relaxing my mind and giving me time to breathe and take in summer at its best. Bear Lake did one more thing for me though, it made me thankful for my family and for leisure time. I would not be thankful for the gift of running away if it was a normal pass time, but the time I get once a year to throw up my hands say the hell with it all and jump in the water, is well worth it. I am one lucky girl, who has a family willing to drive their boats far over the speed limit for me and my cousin's enjoyment, and for that I am thankful.