Tiny vacations

If you are a creature of habit, as most of us are to varying degrees, you probably operate with a significant number of routines: your usual route to work, your standard hangout spots, the typical ways you spend a weekend day and/or evening.

I realized earlier this summer that simply by tweaking one or more of those routines, I can feel like I’m on vacation. Hence the title of this post, which I prefer to the awkward neologism “staycation.”

Since it has so many distinctive pockets, Portland is especially conducive to tiny vacations. All you have to do is leave your own neighborhood and go somewhere you usually don’t. Doing something you don’t usually do also counts. This past weekend, we had two tiny vacations: breakfast at The Detour Cafe and a show at Mississippi Studios. Highlights of the first: ivy-covered patio, delicious food, and the local fauna, including various birds and a tan French bulldog. Highlights of the second: acoustics, company, and the surprisingly raw, ragged energy between the musicians, both of whom were apparently departing significantly from the playing styles for which they were known.

Gone on any tiny vacations lately?