Now is about the time when I look at the calendar and think, "Whatever happened to spring break?"

And of course I know in the other side of my mind that the reason that people 25 and older don't flock to Panama City Beach and make the long ride on a road trip down to Key West isn't because they don't want to, (though I would personally avoid Panama City Beach during spring break) but because real life doesn't quite provide for the opportunity.

I told my mom that one particular older and wiser journalist recommended to undergraduates that they take time off to travel before starting work because they won't get the chance later. She basically said, "That's nice. Then they can give you the money to do that."

Some still manage to take time off and do spring break years after college is over. But I didn't take much spring break time when I was in school anyway, so it's not likely I'll start now. I had one week off from the University of Florida where I studied and worked on a story for one of my classes. The next spring break I didn't leave town so that I could still work on my internship.

I suspect more students than is generally thought do not take to the beaches because of work, school, internships, responsibility. And others do as my sister did and spend the entire week repairing houses in Appalachia because they are kind. I saw a lot of struggling students who gave up things like spring break and parties to pay for their classes, to get into the best programs and to not let anyone down.

But spring break can be more a state of mind than a week of what it is frankly portrayed as: 168 hours or more of constant alcohol streaming through the blood of young bodies. That state of mind can include unexpected breaks from work and blasé chores that are made more pleasant by their infrequency.

While I'm in the area, I figure I'll see as many lighthouses as possible, enjoy this change of season thing I've never had before – even if it means waiting until the ice cream shops open in the spring – and spend more time in the closest big cities, the way I didn't visit Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa.

There's always something you won't be able to do. I don't know how I feel about admitting that the one thing I want to do on my inevitable return to Florida is to see Weeki Wachee Springs that features underwater actresses playing mermaids on the west side of the state. Very kitsch, but I don't care. Now that I've seen some places of interest in the area, I have my sights set on Ocracoke, Norfolk and the nearest park swing.

Sometimes the breaks become more than just a vacation. The places seen on quick trips sometimes require a return and other times, when the attachment to a particular place becomes unbreakable, the return is permanent.