I'm sitting on a front porch, comfy on a royal blue rocking bench, feet propped up on the white-washed railing. It is an absolutely perfect evening: a crescent moon hangs languidly in a clear, ever-deepening night-blue sky; the sunset was magnificent and though the fiery orb has said bon soir, an incredible residual rainbow remains. A gentle breeze whispers across my skin and ushers the trees' leaves to and fro, one child scooters in the street below, another sings a song from The Little Mermaid at the top of her voice and to thunderous applause. The channel over which I look is glassy smooth, and humidity dares not intrude upon this flawless eve. T is rocking next to me, reading the news. The boys are fast asleep, bone-tired after a busy beach day.

Despite itself, this family vacation has been just that in a number of ways. Cousins, waves, grandparents, sand, playgrounds and more relaxed rules regarding video game-playing have joined forces to avert a number of the issues my little crew is often beset by during stretches of unscheduled time. I've read a chapter or so of one book and started in on a new one. I took a nap today! We've played lots of games (Candy Land is not as cool as I remember!), done lots of puzzles, drawn silly pictures, made light sabers from colored straws and scotch tape. No dog begged for a walk, no cat nipped my nose before the dawn. In the harried way that even is relaxation when energetic young children are around, I still feel that I got away, stepped off the hamster wheel that is often life at home.

The sky is dark now, the sunset rainbow has faded to a dramatically shyer version of its former self, the breeze has slowed. Only the Cheshire moon remains as a constant. And isn't that just the way life is! Some things spin, others stop, some drag interminably, others race by entirely too quickly, some fade without notice. What's hard is remembering to grasp hold of the good stuff, while letting the lesser bits trickle through your hands like sand. Here's to bringing some of this home with us.