I told my six-year-old how lucky we were to be going out for spring break after she asked what trip we would be taking.  I explained that not everyone is as fortunate.  While we would be staying home, we were still lucky enough to be going out and having fun.  There are always those who are more fortunate; conversely there are always those who are less.  The American author, political activist, and lecturer Helen Keller once said:

“Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men.  It then appears that we are among the privileged.”

I could not agree more.  Not only have I always felt this way, thanks to my father, who taught me to always seek the positive, I believe this becomes even more significant when taken out of a materialistic context and placed within the realm of a physical one.  Here was a blind AND deaf woman, born in a time when women were not always educated, who could easily have felt sorry for herself.  Instead she was not only able realize her blessings in the face of the harshest of adversities; she managed to overcome them and then proceeded to work as an advocate for others.  I was stunned to read my child’s second report card.  Her kindergarten teacher directly quoted my daughter’s thoughts on Helen Keller as being her favorite hero.  I had absolutely no idea!  Keller is one of the people whom I have admired the most since I was a child and has been first on my list to my fantasy dinner party.  On the subject of eating, my husband and I took our little one to The Rainforest Cafe on the final weeknight of her first spring break.  No pun intended when I say she went wild!  We sat underneath a magical blue “sky” with shooting stars, surrounded by huge, lit fish tanks, and the whole place was covered in “vines” made to resemble the lush, dense jungle.  I knew she would love the tiger family the most so I requested we sit where we had a good view of them.  Periodically it would “rain” and set off all the animatronic animals found throughout the large restaurant.  A sitting jaguar swished her tail, a great mother elephant (pictured) flapped her ears and moved her trunk, as did her baby.  There were gorillas shaking trees, a crocodile which opened his eyes and rose out of the water, and “lightening” flashes.  In addition, there was the most enchanting bar I have seen to date nestled underneath a giant mushroom, where water delicately poured over the top and ran along a “stream” while multicolored lights enhanced the landscape.  Our little one was entranced.  She got a special souvenir drink cup and we let her “make” her own rainbow leopard, which she aptly named Rainy.  Normally I’m not one for clothes on animals but, after begging her daddy, he relented and Rainy came out rocking a sparkly rainbow-colored tutu, dazzling rainbow-colored shoes, a pink (impractical) purse with a rainbow-colored bow, and half a dozen different colored bows for her ears.  I convinced our little one her leopard didn’t need a top so her beautiful, multi-colored spots could be seen.  Despite the pleading of her big brown eyes her daddy drew the line over Rainy having a (toy) cell phone.  Our little one (unbeknownst to her father) is already plotting wardrobe changes and says she cannot wait to go back.  People probably have different thoughts about what connotes “wild” spring breaks.  I was a good girl in both high school and college and never left home for spring break.  When I was in the Miss Texas USA pageant, though, I heard tales from servers of just how wild they could be.  This was more my speed.  As they say, it was “a wild place to eat and shop.”  I loved being with my family and going “wild” on spring break.