A mirage is a visual phenomenon that occurs most often in the desert or at sea: the wavering sight of something illusory, without substance or reality. What is it about these locales that lend themselves to fantastic visions, sometimes intangible or unexplainable? Perhaps the extreme isolation of the Pacific or the heat of the Sahara can explain these optical illusions. Like the exotic desert resorts, cruises and roach motels on beachfront property, at which many of us chose to spend our vacations, the blurry haze curling steadily from the ground has the ability to distort our ability to see and pulls us like an undertow away from reality.
When my friend and I arrived in Palm Springs, Calif., it was already dark. A warm breeze blew across the runway, and I could tell that I was going to like it there. A cab ushered us to our small hotel and as we exited the lobby, the courtyard and lighted pool reminded me so much of "Melrose Place" I could only begin to imagine what kind of drama would unfold there. But even my imagination was not quite large enough.
I have repeatedly written about our cavalier, college-induced attitudes toward sex and relationships, but no situation exemplifies our devolution to hedonism more so than two of the most overemphasized words in our vocabulary: spring break. A break not just from the rigors of school, internships, part-time jobs and other nefarious responsibilities, but perhaps from our sense of modesty, inhibitions and temperance. Two words that make sleazy old men salivate the world over and make co-eds "go wild" for a free tank top and a chance at late-night commercial fame.
Though Palm Springs seemed to have more retirees than frat boys and farmers' daughters, it was every bit the escape I desired. Each day the thin pipe attached to the poolside palm trees spat a fine mist that coated the lounge chairs, cooling our half-naked bodies from the muscle of the unshielded desert sun. Each evening, our pregame mixed drinks and draft beers at the bar blurred the innumerable stars above, and the searing water of the hot tub diluted the chlorine odors and smudged the stains left in bed.
Stepping out of my room each morning, the bright sun and hazy mist seemed to displace and confuse the events of the previous night. How many pairs of legs were writhing, entwined between the sheets last night? Two, three, four? Depending on the evening any combination seemed dreamily possible. Bits of evidence always remained, but they were easy enough to ignore if desired. After all, after one has quenched his thirst in the desert, it isn't long before he longs for another drink. The contentment one night provides does not necessarily continue to satisfy the next.
But the sun and mist asked no questions and provided no definite answers, only diversion. As the half-naked bodies moved lazily around the pool, it seemed like I was actually drifting closer to reality. Seeing couples, most twice my age, drinking and splashing around while I conservatively and soberly read my book, made my preconceived notions of adulthood seem if not fantastic, quite boring.
I assumed this was my last hurrah, my last semester of college and opportunity to run away and debauch myself guilt-free. This didn't seem to be the case. Though decidedly more mature and financially stable, these fellow patrons had come to do just the same: escape and, for some, "go wild." This was not so much my swan song as it was my stunning debut to the world of adult vacationing. It might have been more scandalous than some, and certainly more conservative than others, but these categories should not even apply to vacations.
In the ocean or the desert, it is easy to confuse illusion and reality. Vacations are designed to take us away from what we are used to, what we may be comfortable with and expose us to what we haven't experienced before. Spring break may have been our first excuse to try something new or unruly, but this can be a model we follow for the rest of our lives. Seek out the edges of the world and see how far they push the limits of your character. If you never explore, you can never truly discover. Don't be afraid of what you may uncover about yourself. After all, it may just be a mirage.
Have your own wild spring break
stories to share?
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