“I could never stay long enough on the shore: the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought.” – Helen Keller

Sorry I didn’t get this post out on Friday. I was at the beach with family! I went back and forth about whether to post about vacation here because I know it’s a privilege to spend a week at the beach in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. But I want to be honest and authentic here as much as possible. We went to St. George Island in Florida. Aside from the kids, who were all from one household, only one adult wasn’t fully vaccinated and he’s had his first shot so he had partial immunity. We rented a house and were mostly just by ourselves at the beach or in the pool so it felt very safe in terms of contact with other people. We did go out to eat a couple times but all in open air dining with plenty of distance from others. The airports felt the most risky, but everyone had masks on and we could spread out for the most part. I know the idea of travel right now, especially for a non-essential trip, is controversial but I really feel like we did it in the safest possible fashion for both us and the people around us.

Anyway, that’s why I didn’t publish on Friday. I was actually able to be mostly unplugged last week which was a real treat! And without further adieu, here’s what is currently bringing me joy.

1. The beach! Duh. It was so relaxing to sit near the water and listen to the waves crash on the beach. And to watch my niece and nephews play in the water and discover sea creatures. We ate grouper and shrimp and crabs and oysters. We soaked in the sun and the joy of each other’s company. It was the kind of vacation that fills your soul with sunshine.
2. Budgeting. While this might seem really lame, being disciplined with our household budget for the past few years meant I had plenty of money set aside for our vacation last week and we could go out to eat and make other purchases without stressing too much about the cost. While tracking our budget takes time and discipline, it really makes things easier in the long run. I highly recommend getting a subscription with You Need A Budget. I like their philosophy on budgeting and the tool is super user friendly.
3. Unplugging. I am a slave to my routine, which includes watching Good Morning America in the morning and then the local and national news every evening. This past week I didn’t turn on the TV at all! Of course I got a few news alerts on my phone, but it was nice to take a break from the self-induced onslaught of news media I usually get.
4. Daffodils. The first flower to bloom in my yard every year are my daffodils and they are popping their little cheery heads out now. I was worried I’d miss them during our trip, but we got home just in time to enjoy them.
5. Bees. We lost both our beehives at the beginning of the winter so we have been looking forward to replacing them this spring. We picked up our bees over the weekend and installed them in their hives. Last year we started naming the hives (King’s Landing and Gondor) and this year we have Tatooine and Jakku!