Vacation Amnesia

Last month Mr. Bacon and I were blessed to be able to go away on vacation without the kids.  (Thank you Grandma and Pop Pop).  We needed the break.  REALLY needed the break. 

We have been to this place before with the kids back in 2012.  So I found myself “seeing” the kids in different places I knew they enjoyed when we visited.  But most interesting was that I seemed to remember only the good times...  it was like I kind of forgot about how autism and anxiety accompanied us, too.  I had vacation amnesia.

I remembered all the fun Eric had going down the water slide.
I somehow “forgot” how he flung my $40 triathlon goggles over the fake rock waterfalls by that slide - never to be seen again!

I remembered him sliding down, and swimming to the stairs, running past us, back up the stairs to do it again, and again and again.
I forgot how he gave us a heart attack, when after waiting a long time for him to come down the slide, we realized he ran down a “back walkway” and was halfway across the resort when we found him.

I remembered having a great time in the ocean, with Daddy Bacon flinging him through the air.
I forgot how many times we trekked back and forth from the pool to the ocean, back to the pool, back to the ocean, up to the hotel room, back down to the pool..well you get the point! 

I remembered enjoying a sunset sail cruise with my entire family in honor of my parents 50th wedding anniversary.
I forgot how Eric had anxiety and cried for hours begging not to go; Daddy having to carry him about a mile down the beach to the pier; coaxing and calming him while waiting and listening to him cry “no boat!” over and over again.  ---(He ended up loving it.)

I remembered one night at dinner Eric danced with pure joy for an hour at an outdoor restaurant that had entertainment (steel drum band/singer).
I forgot the night we arrived where Daddy and Eric had to leave the restaurant even before their food arrived, because the anxiety from flying earlier that day had just left him (them ;-) ) fried.

I remembered Eric sleeping through the night and waking up around 7am EVERY morning- and I declared we should move there!
I forgot hearing ‘no go home’ ‘no fly airplane’ ‘no go high’ ‘no stuck in clouds’ and hours of tears the morning we had to head home.

But most of all, I remembered creating wonderful lasting memories with my beautiful family and looking forward to the day we could do it again!   

--------Mrs. Bacon





(Image is of Eric lounging in 2012, and Daddy lounging in 2016)