Cutting Loose

3/11/2015

The Lay of the Land

By Lyn Messersmith

Cutting Loose

            Back in the day, we never knew about spring break. I’m not sure if we were kept in the dark intentionally, or if our parents and teachers were simply ignorant of the need for young people to let off steam. It seemed that letting off steam was viewed with a degree of disapproval, at any age. But I’m not getting any younger, and one must keep up with the times, so I’ve been planning what to do on my spring break.

            Apparently, the idea is to go to new places (preferably somewhere warm) and do things on spring break that you never did before, or else do a familiar activity to extremes. Well, there are so many things I haven’t done, and places I’ve not been, it’s almost overwhelming to consider the options. This may take a while; best get going on a list…

            New places to go:

            Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, Tucson, (no, been there) Seattle, (too wet) Bahamas, (too spendy)… this is too hard. I’ll come back to it.

            New things to do:

            Skiing. Well, probably not in any of those places. Drag racing—I missed out on that in my youth; how about sky diving? That would require some heavy duty drugs, since I won’t even climb a windmill, but apparently the drug thing sort of goes with the deal, for a lot of folks.

I know! A nude beach! It would save some bucks, since I don’t own a bathing suit and wouldn’t have to buy one. No embarrassment either; every last soul would clear out in a hurry when I disrobed.

It’s my impression that the person having fun on spring break does it on someone else’s dime. That could be a problem, without parents to foot the bill, and it’s more than doubtful they’d have ever entertained such a proposal anyhow. Maybe my kids would chip in? In-laws might pay to be rid of me, at least temporarily.

             But don’t people usually do these things with groups of friends? And here’s a huge glitch, I don’t have a single friend who’d go for any of that. Those who confess to having indulged in the past have moved on, which is one of the reasons we are friends now.

            Well, there’s nothing for it but to adapt the formula. New list of possibilities:

            Go to Rapid City, or Cheyenne; more likely Valentine. Been there, done that, and liked it. I’m inclined to bet on a sure thing.

            Watch the stock dog trials; hit the health food store, the bookstore, a couple of good steakhouses, maybe take in a rodeo or Cowboy Poetry event. Been there, done that, and liked it. Chances of financial aid being slim, those choices wouldn’t break the bank.

I can think of at least a dozen folks that would go along at the drop of my John B. They’re fun to travel with, pick up the check when it’s their turn, and don’t need chemicals to enhance the experience; always helpful if one cares to stay out of jail, although going to jail seems to be part of spring break for a lot of the younger set. Nah, we can skip that part.

            I’m starting to like the sound of cutting loose more and more, but in reality, not much of the above is likely to happen. Best case scenario: I’ll visit my buddy in South Dakota, drive through the new calf crop at the ranch, sit on a hillside and listen for the silver sound of Sandhill Cranes, squint into the sunset looking to spot them, eat a steak grilled by one of my kids, get drunk on moonlight, and help the grandkids color Easter eggs. Maybe even snuggle up with my spouse for a Sunday afternoon nap. Talk about living large!