To equate the two would be short-sighted at best. Actually, it’s sort of silly when you think about it. Most of us have even been guilty of it at one time or another. Think back on a great trip you’ve taken somewhere and everything went exceptionally well. You or someone in your group made the comment, ” I could see myself living here or in a place like this.” The problem there lies in one simple fact. Vacation is not real life, at least not for the large majority of us.
I grew up in the Georgia mountains. You know the place…..where everyone from Florida goes on vacation. Meanwhile, everyone from Georgia vacations in Florida. It’s an odd exchange of citizens for a few weeks/weekends a year but I suppose it makes sense. I grew up vacationing in Florida like the rest of them and now I’m living in Florida as an adult. I’ve seen both sides of this coin and have a little perspective.
To the average American, Florida is beautiful beaches and great seafood. It’s a mecca for theme parks and home to the Grapefruit League. It’s a place where giant rockets send men beyond the surly bonds of Earth and college football teams are perennial favorites. It’s orange juice and Key West. It’s charter fishing and alligators. The riches of Florida are plentiful. We Floridians are the keepers of the sunshine, the stewards of the House of Mouse, the guardians of Daytona Motor Speedway. Sure we have our more than occasional assault with random food items. We might have a fellow with an army of turtles. Yes, we have our square groupers. To those from less fortunate states, these quirks are simply minor blips on a radar chock full of summertime delights and the promise of sun tan, or at least a second degree sunburn souvenir to take home with them.
Now the reality check. To Floridians, the state is complicated. First, we live here. We aren’t on vacation. Living here is a struggle….for most everything. Insects want to feast on your blood. Red tide usually ruins the best (read: least crowded) beach days on the gulf coast. The state has had to start paying python hunters because they’re so overpopulated and out of control. They killed an 18 ft. female last year. Sure, the Magic Kingdom is in our backyard but the thought of fighting through a crowd of sweaty maniacs and crying children, in the summer, to experience a ride that will still be there in November when the tourists go home…….well that’s a lesson you only have to learn once. Also, it’s hot. I mean REALLY hot and humid for probably eight months a year. My family and I went to a fall festival the other day and we were in a corn maze while it was 96 degrees outside. Am I painting a clear enough picture? We fake a lot of holiday spirit because that’s what we have to do. Everyday tasks like our morning commutes are complicated with tourists scrambling for the beaches on roads that weren’t designed for that volume. At least we’ve figured out to avoid the establishments that price gouge unsuspecting or indifferent tourists simply because they can.
But………those four months of cool-ish weather. Are they worth the price of admission? It’d be hard to argue against it when your windows are open and you’re reading a news article about entire towns buried in feet of snow. You’ve got steaks on the grill and the kids are in the pool. The grass has stopped growing so fast so you can actually take a break from mowing this week. Later, you have to get the Christmas decorations out of the garage but why rush? We’ve beaten summer. We survived the sweltering hell swamp one more year. It’s in these moments you reckon Florida ain’t half bad…….at least not until it gets hot again.
