Once upon a time

Once upon a time, there was a teacher, who spent many a winter and spring break
in the cold snowy northeast.  She knew other teachers went "away" to warm sunny places and noticed they came back more relaxed and rested than those who stayed home and cleaned their pantries. 
There were lots of reasons to not go away for many years.  Some years it was money and other years were just too busy to plan.  There were family responsibilities and college tuition to pay over the years.  There were papers to write and chores awaiting.  Vacations were in the "want" rather than the "need" category. 
But times change, children grow, and eventually those tuition bills were paid in full.  There were losses of life and love, finding that teacher in the fully aware of the need to "carpe diem" category.

Long before the break, long before there were reservations, this teacher decided "this was the year." She would leave behind her stressors.  She would forget about health, financial, housing, and estate issues.  She decided it was not a want, but rather a need to dip her toes in the sand and replenish her soul in the sea. 
So she made some  plans.....hesitantly....and wondered if she could "pull it off!". She sent off an expedited passport request and secured bargain flights and a place to sleep after a day at the beach. 
Then, she waited and the date of her departure loomed within sight. 

Then, the test of her real grit began. She drove many a mile, in a pilgrimage to her birthplace for a post-911 birth certificate. Eventual she secured a vital certificate.  She camped out at passport offices in two states and secured a personal contact with the national passport system. 
She was reminded, as the cold wind swirled around her ankles, that those who persist and face obstacles with a smile and determination will know the warmth in your heart that comes when you "give it 100%."
Eventually she secured a passport, downloaded 3 books in a Kindle, and was ready to relax.  But she was exhausted. So, ............