“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…”. Never did I ever think that my teenage self would be belting out the lyrics to a nursery rhyme. Yet, here I was though, cooped up in the tiny townhome that our family had rented, hoping that the sun would emerge from behind the dark wall of clouds because of my lovely singing. To my dismay though, the streets of Corolla Light Resort turned into rivers as the monsoon continued.
My family and I let boredom settle in like an old friend as we watched the rampant rain through the windows. Our roads literally became impossible to walk through- there was over a foot of standing water. The beach and pool day we had all been looking forward to was spoiled. With dampened spirits, we tried to let the weather pass by flipping through the standard cable channels, catching a Shark Week special here and there. After a few hours and no signs of the torrential downpour slowing down, we dragged out the only game we had brought along on our fun-filled family vacation: Scrabble. The classic crossword game where one’s personal dictionary is put to the ultimate test.
My parents, brother, and I set ourselves up with snacks, drinks, and music. Our first game was lackluster: it was pretty obvious that none of us wanted to be playing a board game when we were in the middle of paradise. However, after games two, three, four, and five, game six was a heated competition. While the desire to win was high, so now were our spirits. No longer were we solely focused on the dreary weather that had spoiled the day. We were focused on this little board filled with letters with the goal of walking away a winner. Jokes were made, laughs were shared, and smiles exchanged.
Now, I’m not going to lie- I wasn’t planning on spending my vacation at a rickety wooden table conjuring up sophisticated words for points. Ideally, I would have been on the white sandy beach gearing up to paddle board or swimming in the pool and getting a tan. In retrospect though, I wouldn’t ever trade the numerous hours spent at that little table. That rainy day my family and I had together was pure simplicity. We didn’t need fancy treats from the poolside restaurant, paddleboards, or the other glamours that come with a beach vacation. Squished together competing for a meaningless victory, our hearts were full.
Sometimes it’s not about going out and doing the extraordinary. To truly enjoy the people and things around us, sometimes, it’s okay to do the ordinary.
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