Vacation





I am not a beach girl. I do not enjoy sand, or heat, let alone the two together all day long every day for several days in a row. That being said, we just went to Florida. To "the beach", as they say in Georgia. Amelia Island, Florida. Beautiful place. Quiet, old town with lots of interesting history (pirates, Native Americans and the oldest working bar in Florida) and best of all, not a busy beach. I am not a beach girl, and if I have to go to the beach, I am surely not going to a busy beach. I like the enjoy the nature, the majesty, the beauty when I am at the beach. Not people. I can people watch everywhere else. Once, before kids, maybe even before we were married, my husband and I got up and went to the beach by the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at 6 am to see the sunrise. We were THE ONLY people on the beach. That is how I like it. Talk about feeling small. WOW.






If I had the choice between the beach and say, an art show in Boston in January, I am pretty sure I would pick the art show hands down every time. The beach is pretty and all, but it is also sandy, and the kids hate getting sunscreened, and reapplying, and when I reapply I feel like I am giving myself microdermabrasion, which I do not enjoy. There is also all the junk you have to schlep to the beach, while hot, and sweating, with sunscreen and now sand sticking to you. Pails, towels, water (that is hot in 10 minutes even in the cooler), the cooler, beach chairs, more sunscreen, and on and on. Then, when you are hot, dehydrated, sweaty, sandy, and sunburned (despite the reapplication of sunscreen) and now you have to schlep the stuff back.


My husband LOVES the beach. And that is an understatement. He LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVES the beach. He wants to retire "to the beach". I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it because I have no intention of retiring anywhere near sand. But, he loves it and the kids enjoy it so off we went. All in all, I had a good time, and I consider the trip a success. I didn't get too burnt, and I even read 2 books (a crappy second hand book that could get wet and sandy, and a nice new hardcover in the room). As a mom, I just don't find it relaxing or really all that "fun". This trip I watched as a 5 year old little girl was given CPR by life guards and whisked off to the local hospital (she did appear to be alert by the time they took here away). But at the beach, you have to be vigilant. Which means, not much reading, or relaxing, and lots of watching, schlepping , and sweating.



I think, for the beach to be relaxing, I am kind of high maintenance. And, I pride myself in NOT being a high maintenance kind of girl. But, for the beach, high maintenance is me. I want a place that has lounge chairs that I don't have to carry, and and a waiter that comes around offering refreshing drinks that are STILL COLD when you drink them. I also want an umbrella (one over my head and one in my drink) and one that stays put. I also only want to be on said beach from about 7 am til noon, maybe 1 pm. Then I want to do something else. Sight see, visit a museum, window shop....anything else really. Something. I think the number one thing that will make a beach vacation better for me is no kids. No kids = no pails, no reapplication of sunscreen to anyone who wants to argue about it, and best of all, I could just sit and read. Read, and read, and read. Now that would be relaxing. Currently, however, I am in the trenches of motherhood, and so while at the beach I watch vigilantly. It is not all about me. I am part of a family. So, for me, a beach vacation is my version of "taking one for the team". I just hope the team appreciates it.



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