It’s our first day home from vacation. I’ve spent all my time today doing laundry, answering e-mails and making decisions my vacation-paced brain is not ready to accomplish. While on my trip I wrote a few journal entries about things I had learned on a two week vacation at the beach and on the road (2500 miles). Tonight I think I’ll share one of these thoughts with you.
One lesson from the trip was Simplicity. There is something to be said about keeping our belongings and distractions to a minimum. I spent a lot of time with Mark with waves and gulls as our only entertainment. I walked and ran up and down the beach with that boy until my feet were calloused from the sand. My thoughts didn’t stray to other things when I was with him; I was all his, and we let hundreds of waves lap at our feet and we sank into the sand as the water washed away.
Our beach house was equipped with only a few dishes. And how nice; it meant just a few dishes to wash. I decided that my house feels decadent after such a simple week. The closets full of sheets and blankets seem excessive; the multiple sets of towels: an indulgence that weighs me down and makes me more busy than I need to be.
So, tonight I am too tired to post more pictures, but I want it to be said that I want to be more like I was on the beach; accessible, unfettered by excess, not unnecessarily burdened with worries.
My house is still a joy to me. We walked in and the familiar paintings and belongings are here and it feels good. But after a few weeks of living out of a suitcase, I find myself more aware of and impatient with all the THINGS I lift around the house all day. It’s kind of like I’m living a farcical tale about a person who spends her days shuffling objects from room to room and thinks that the organization and neatness of those objects will make her happy. I took a step away from that life and I’ve come back disenchanted with it.
These thoughts are certainly not as profound as Anne Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea, but I think they are worthy of some action… Like a good trip to the donations bin at the church.