Spring Broke

Do you know what Spring Break is? I just learned the hard way. It sounded great when I heard my humans talking about it . . . a break from the cold weather that comes as winter fades into spring, preferably to someplace warm and sunny. I love to bask in the sun, so for weeks I imagined the bright and cozy places I would doze while my humans snapped themselves out of their winter blues just steps from me in their own sunny spots.

When the suitcases came out of the guest room closet, I could feel everyone's anticipation leveling up, including mine. Normally Mom talks to me about the places we're going, but when she didn't, it never occurred to me that it was her guilt holding her back from sharing the details. I got the message when Dad came downstairs with my best Big Joe beanbag and started portioning out my food into little bags, while Mom packed up my treats and medicines. The traitors. When Mom sat next to me on the couch, put her arm around me, and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Gussy, but you can't come with us," I tried not to look at her. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing that the only thing breaking was my heart - not spring. I can't hold a grudge, though, so after she promised they'd come back for me, I couldn't resist one last snuggle before Dad put me in the truck for the ride to my broken down break at the kennel.

Time flies when you're having fun - not! - so it wasn't long before they did return to bring me home. It was nice to see them, but all they did was talk about their trip - a cruise to the Bahamas. Mom explained that's like a floating hotel that stops fun places and has loads of activities to do while on board the ship.

"And I couldn't go because why?" I asked.

"Animals aren't allowed," Mom said, adding, "We aren't allowed to stay in the kennel, so that's just how it is," as a weak explanation.

Since I didn't really think our breaks were comparable from the sound of it, and since I couldn't really understand what being on a cruise was like, I took a look through Mom's pictures. I found a picture of the three of them in a sunny spot all right - with the ocean glistening a deep shade of blue behind them. Here was my sun basking.

I found pics of them playing fun games like Bingo. This is me playing either Don't Kill Me or Please Scratch My Belly depending on your perspective.

In a few snaps I could see they actually got off the ship to try some snorkeling. I can definitely understand wanting to get out a bit. When your Spring Break is a stint in dog prison, this is what stepping out looks like.

Mom got nosey, trying to see what I was looking at on her phone, so I expanded a photo for her and asked, "Is this Big Brother playing shuffleboard with a giant mouse?"

Mom laughed. "It is!"

"So not only do they allow animals on board, they let them get all dressed up in fun costumes? Cause this guy is looking pretty dapper in a sailor's suit."

"Gus," Mom said not even trying to cover her laugh, "that is Mickey Mouse!"

"And? They let him on. Why not me? You want to know what kind of games I played this week?" I showed her the pic below and asked, "Do I look like I enjoyed the bubbles game, Mom?"

"Aw, Gus," Mom said, sounding more defeated than I really wanted her to feel. "You just can't go everywhere with us all the time. It's not like this is the first vacation we've taken without you, so what's the rub?"

"Most vacations don't sound or look as amazing as this cruise thing did, and after all the hype about Spring Break, I was hoping mine would be everything Spring Break was built up to be."

Mom nodded knowingly. She explained that sometimes things aren't all they're hyped up to be, and we just have to learn to live with it. She said life is all about expectation and that disappointment is what happens when reality doesn't live up to the expectations we had of something or someone. She said their trip wasn't all it was cracked up to be either - one of their stops got canceled because of high winds, not all the activities they wanted to do were open to kids Big Brother's age, and they had to drive really, really far to get there. In the end, though, they enjoyed the things they could do and were thankful for the time they spent together.

Mom said the best thing to do is not to ask too much of experiences or people - that way, they can't let us down by not meeting whatever expectation we had built up in our heads or hearts. Look forward to things, sure, but learn to find the joy in whatever happens and be grateful for the opportunities, experiences, and people in our lives, even if they're not perfect.

So, although my first reaction was to tag my Spring Break as broken, I guess I'll try this gratitude thing . . . starting with I'm grateful the fam came back from their glorious cruise to get me, and I'm thankful Spring Break is only once a year.

I will only be grateful this happened if it's a good enough costume to get me on the cruise ship next time. It's not a sailor's suit and hat, but . . .