On the mayor's mind: time with family

From Mayor Shari Winstead

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to spend a week at Daytona Beach with my husband, son, and daughter-in-law, visiting my older brother and sister-in-law.  It’s the first vacation the four of us have taken together since the new marriages, and I was excited to spend more time together than the usual couple hours for a family birthday celebration.

Even though our reason for this “vacation” was to spread my father’s ashes, we were all looking forward to a break from work, some sunshine, and a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. My kind brother had been dutifully holding on to Dad for the last three years, waiting for the rest of us to be able to coordinate our schedules to make the trip. Dad would have been happy that he had given us a reason to be together, and to have some fun. We took care of Dad on that first day, and throughout the week visited some of his favorite spots, the fishing pier and Nascar track at Daytona Beach, his favorite coffee shop, and of course, the Waffle House (it’s a Southern thing!)

Even though my Dad thought Disney was a rip-off, he appreciated what Disney brought to Florida, and I know he would have approved of a day at the Magic Kingdom. We made a stop at his favorite Dunkin Donuts on our way, yet another cup of coffee for Dad.

Even in May, the Florida sun is scorchingly hot, so we decided to grab an ice cream before heading into Space Mountain (my favorite ride!). As we approached the ride, the attendant told us we couldn't get in line with our ice cream, we would need to finish them outside.  So the four of us turned around and finished our ice creams. A couple minutes later, we headed back into the ride, only to have the attendant stop us again, and ask us our name, as he was writing out what looked like a ticket. Were we really going to get a ticket in Disney World? Instead, he handed the “ticket” to my husband and said “most people give me a real hard time, argue with me and throw a fit about not being able to take their ice cream into the line. I appreciate you folks being so understanding.  Here’s a coupon for free ice cream for y’all.”  

We were all flabbergasted.  Most of us have not experienced being rewarded for good behavior. And the funny thing is, the reward system really does work. We found ourselves more patient and less cranky for the rest of that very long, hot day. We never even stopped to get the free ice cream that afternoon, but the memory of the “good behavior ticket” will be with us forever.  

I grew up in a family that did not “do” vacations. One of my greatest pleasures as a parent was to explore and travel with my son. We were fortunate to have family on the east coast, so our traveling, while not exotic or expensive, was very meaningful. We created lifelong memories by spending time with family and friends, learning about different cultures (the east coast and the southern states are very different from the northwest!), and just hanging out together. I am even more grateful and appreciative to have had this opportunity with my adult “kid,” made even better by the addition of new family members - our wonderful spouses. Life gets better with each new family member.