That’s when we’ll be going to the beach again.
Granted we may actually see the ocean before then. And there’s a chance our vacation week will shift a bit later. But work with me.
We returned yesterday from seven wonderful days on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Seven days of relaxation, rest, and yes, healing. Both physical and mental.
It was a great week. It was a different week.
Usually I need a couple of days to get into the week. To relax my mind and forget about things behind for the next few days.
Perhaps it was because we missed our beach week last year. Perhaps it was because I’ve been working seven days a week this summer.
Regardless of the reason, I slipped right into the relaxation mode.
The first couple of days were a bit rainy but we still had the chance to get some time on the beach. The rest of the week was gloriously clear, and hot.
There’s just something about sitting on the beach hearing only the sound of the ocean, the sand under your feet, the sun beaming down.
Can you tell I had a good week?
The beach may not be your thing. That’s fine. Some days it got too crowded anyway.
We all need a chance to stop from the regular schedule, from the worries of life. We all need to get away from the [insert your pejorative term here]s in our places of work.
That may be a trip to the beach. Or to the mountains. Or maybe just to the backyard.
But that point of stopping and letting the world go on without us for a bit is important.
You know that day of rest thing isn’t such a bad idea.
Our culture doesn’t always allow that. And that’s too bad.
We all have our struggles. We all have the [again, insert your term here]s in our offices to deal with. We all have our battles.
It’s easy to grow weary.
This is my week for re-entry. I’m ready to head back to the office.
True, I’m taking one extra day to ease back into things.
But I’m ready to take on the unnamed people above. I can do this for 358 days. Give or take a few.
I’ve made some plans. Sorted out some writing and theatre options. Addressed some issues.
See? I wasn’t just sitting on the beach. With my head clear I was able to think rationally.
That’s important.
We live in culture that almost forces us to bounce from one crisis to the next.
You know what I remembered this past week?
Some of those crises just aren’t worth getting all het up about.
I’m sure I’ll remember that for a while then somewhere, probably just after Labor Day or so, something will snap and I’ll need a reminder.
So, I bought myself a bit of art for my office. There are four lighthouses on the Outer Banks. I have a small framed picture of the four.
In part, they’ll remind me of our time at the beach.
But, if you’re a Star Trek geek you’ll remember a different meaning for the four lights.
Some of you will get it.
Some of you aren’t supposed to. That’s sort of the point.
It’s likely I’ll be talking about the beach this week.
At least until we get the sand out of the car.
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