Last year the VIM and I stayed at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas. It’s absolutely the truth that the trip was technically a business trip for him. It’s also absolutely true that while there were some meetings (for him) during the day, and business dinners during the evening, there was a lot of free time as well. On our second day there, we took some of that free time and boarded a boat that was departing for the resort’s “private island.” Although we had read about the island, we had no burning “have to get there now” urgency to get there. I guess we figured it would be a fabricated, disneyland-like area (sort of how I think of Las Vegas.) We went just to check it out and ended up finding a little covered hut with double lounges in an isolated, almost wooded area close to one end of the island. It was the best surprise of the trip. We spent the rest of our free mornings jostling for the best (closest to the exit) seats on the ferry to the island. Once the boat docked, everyone hurried off and ran – RAN - down the boardwalk toward the island. It apparently is very important to go as early as possible to stake a claim on the best chairs. Lucky for us, our favorite spot apparently wasn’t considered the best chairs. Out of each day we went there, there was only one day that we weren’t able to sit in “our” chairs because a butler had reserved them for his guests. We found chairs close by, and when the butlered coupled finally arrived, they asked if they could move somewhere else. They didn’t like that area. The butler happily moved them, and we happily swooped in.
The picture is the view from my lounge chair. It was a little bit like camping because of the scent of the big pines trees around us. Because of the way that area is designed, we couldn’t see the people on the beach in front of us… although you can’t see it in the picture, there is a fairly wide sandy beach beyond that stone wall, just steps from the lounge chairs. When the wind and shade got a little too windy and shady, I would just step down to the sand and find an empty chair there to warm my bones for a few minutes. (The Bahamas in March wasn’t nearly as warm as I thought it would be.)
During the 4 or so days we spent in our lounge chairs – sometimes just a few hours, and sometimes most of the day – I was able to totally decompress. Sometimes I read, sometimes I slept, and sometimes I just sat there are stared out at that blue water. What I didn’t do was think about work, email, what I was going to eat for dinner, if my waistband was getting tighter, or what I’d pack in my carryon for the flight back home. It was hours filled with nothing and everything.
When I’m stressed, or maybe can’t fall asleep as quickly as I’d like, I remember this view, then I remember the smell of the pine trees, and the feel of the brisk wind through my sweatshirt. This is one of my Happy Places.
