At the Beach

I am sitting in the living room of our cottage and in 20 minutes I will be at the beach with the grandkids, the kids, and even Chuck!

Gillian and Ashley are here right now and they are reading a magazine together. Geoff is getting ready to go on a bike ride.

It is good to be here. Before I left I wrote a list of things I look forward to at the beach and I have already done most of them. We have a disparate group as we often do. Audrey has invited her friend Caroline and her old college roommate Emily and her husband Remy and their child Nico. Gillian has brought her friend Ashley and Dawn and Jason are here with us for the 3rd year.

The conversations are often rich - hearing Emily and Remy talk about New Orleans as former residents, hearing Caroline's perspectives as a Phd. candidate in Psychology, the political discussions as we share differing viewpoints on the news. I love hearing my brother Geoff as he takes an interest in all the young people and their lives in the workplace. With his age and experience he has some wisdom for them.

The little kids bring chaos wherever they are. They came into our cottage this morning at 9 and immediately starting playing golf in the living room as Poppy made breakfast for them. We have a lagoon behind us lots of turtles which are a source of interest. The best part is watching them at the beach as they get more confident around the water. The first day Jackson was afraid to go near the water and yesterday he was in the ocean. Reagan and Alyse have been in the ocean on boogie boards!

What I like the most about a vacation like this is the fact that there is no pressure to do anything but what you want to do and no expectations. And there is an opportunity to be with others and always a time for solitude if you want it. I love starting the day on the deck and I love having at least some time to be sitting at the beach or walking beside the water.

The big question - the vacation question is always this: what do I want to do today?

I start the day with morning pages - a time to reflect on the day before and look ahead to the coming day. At the same time I look at my "regular life" and wonder how I can better balance the work and rest and play that I need to balance. It is an ongoing journey to wholeness.

All I know is that I am grateful to be here and to be with my family and friends.