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| Me and Denise in my happy place |
Two weeks ago I had one of the best weekends of my life. Why
so great? First of all, I was in Westhampton, which is my new happy place. When
life is too real, I imagine myself back at Swordfish, the quaint old-fashioned
beach club, in my turquoise dress, Veuve Clicquot in hand, surrounded by many
of my favorite people on the planet. Or at Saltwater, a casual eatery with an
ocean view, feeling the sea breeze, eating a portabello burger. Or at Steve and
Michael’s house, lounging poolside, watching doggie Edie float on her raft like
a princess. Or at the beach itself, in the dusk, chilly, sandy, but unwilling
to leave the laughter, joy and beauty.
The town is charming, the people friendly, and I got to just be Julie for a weekend--not mommy, not wife, just me. I traveled
with friends, ate every meal with loved ones, shared a room with high
school chums, laughed so hard that my abs hurt. I slept late both days,
wandered in and out of shops, lounged on the beach, and capped it off by celebrating
the marriage of two men I adore. Weekends don’t get much better than
that.
Adjusting back to reality was a little rough. Some car trouble, job stress, missed concert--nothing disastrous, just life. Part of me wants every weekend to be a wedding in
Westhampton with my best friends. But as golden as it was, equally precious to me are mellow family weekends, watching movies on TV, playing with Daniel on the beach, and eating pizza in downtown Ocean City. My friend Steve reminds me to celebrate my life. Glamorous in Westhampton, or
downhome in Narberth, I have so much to celebrate. Champagne optional.
Julie, I so get this. Jim and I live in our happiest place, Cape May. we have other happy places we visit periodically. I always remind myself when it is time to leave them that it is okay...we are going back to real life and lucky for us, it is a life we love. Sure, there are bad days and stress, it's "real life" and even with the bumps we are grateful for all of it everyday.
ReplyDeleteCarol, you are so lucky to live in your happiest place. I feel lucky to have so many happy places, and to keep finding new ones.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I have treasured experiences like you describe here, where you were really present in the moment, doing what you wanted to do (or not do) with no one else to accommodate. Sounds like it was a great escape. I could almost see your photo making the society pages of the Sunday newspaper.
ReplyDeleteYes, the home life moments are special too, but everyone needs a few champagne moments in their life too.