Lexicon for Relaxation

APRIL 21, 2004
By GREG RUMMO

     AS A WRITER, I make frequent use of a lexicon when I am looking for a specific word with just the right shade of meaning. So in keeping with a familiar writing tool, I thought I’d describe a recent vacation. (Definitions are taken from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company.)

va·ca·tion (vā-kā shən, və-) noun  A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee.

For many Americans, a vacation is unfortunately, often the transposition of the normal flurry of frenetic activity from one location to another. In the age of 24-hour cable news networks, cell phones and laptop computers, we have made it impossible to escape from the very things that are driving us mad here at home. Everyone needs some downtime from the office. And it’s also not a bad idea to shut off the steady stream of information that pours into our heads from various news sources. What better way to accomplish this than to get out of the country, leaving the cell phone and laptop home, and spend some time on an island in the Caribbean soaking up the tropical rays with the wife and kids?

Ja·mai·ca (jə-mā kə) Abbr. Jam. An island country in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba. Discovered by Columbus in 1494, the island was settled in 1509 by the Spanish, captured by the British in 1655, and formally ceded to Great Britain in 1670. The country became independent in 1962. Kingston is the capital and the largest city. Population, 2,190,357.

The last time we visited Jamaica was in 1997 to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. At that time, we wanted to go to a place where we could be alone yet take our two boys with us. A resort called the FDR was the perfect choice. Why?—See below.

nan·ny also nan·nie (năn ē) noun; plural nan·nies A children's nurse.

Many resorts include as a part of a vacation package the services of a nanny. For couples in desperate need of quality time together but dreading leaving the children home, such an arrangement offers a wonderful compromise. This year, while our older boys were involved in activities with the teen club for most of the week, Tycia, the nanny that was assigned to us, took our two-year old daughter to the play center in the mornings to be with the other small children. This allowed my wife and me to spend a few hours together every day alone on the beach, conversing and sipping banana smoothies. “I almost feel guilty,” she remarked to me one afternoon.

buf·fet (bə-fā, boo-) noun A meal at which guests serve themselves from various dishes displayed on a table or sideboard.

Eating is a big part of a vacation. But it gets old having to drive around from one fast food place to another with the family in tow, especially if you’ve been on the go all day site-seeing. At the FDR, breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet style. You ate what you wanted, as much as you wanted and when you wanted it. There was seemingly no end to the fruits, salads and main courses that were offered. If you didn’t like fish, there was beef or pork or chicken. There were always at least a half-dozen desserts. And if you got hungry for a snack in-between meals, there was a grill that served hamburgers, hotdogs and jerk chicken as well as ice cream. For many it was “Katie bar the door.” And in all honesty, gaining weight would have been easy on this vacation if it were not for one very special person.

ex·er·cise (ĕk sər-sīz´) noun  Activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness.

While some may find even the mention of exercise on vacation an anathema, for me and my wife, exercising is something we take seriously. Lisa Cundiff, a certified personal fitness trainer from Margate New Jersey was the residence fitness guru during our week there. We started every morning promptly at 7:30 a.m. with a 3-mile run on a sandy path that wound through virgin tropical wilderness adjacent to the beach. Then in the afternoons, we attended her hour-long body sculpting weight aerobics class. This was followed by a second 3-mile run an hour later at 5:00 p.m. Cundiff says, “If your body is not becoming to you, you should be coming to me.” By the end of the week I understood what she meant—I was sore everywhere—but  when I got home and weighed myself, I had actually lost a half pound.

re·lax·a·tion (rē´lăk-sā shən) noun Refreshment of body or mind; recreation.

This was our goal. And it is an important one in a world where families are under pressure from all sides. Every family needs to get away from the multitasking nightmares of life to spend some time playing and laughing together—just like little children.

I imagine the world might be a better place if we all did that more often. n

Greg Rummo is a syndicated columnist. Read all of his columns on his homepage, www.GregRummo.com. E-Mail Rummo at  GregoryJRummo@aol.com