My Favorite Water Vacations

Well, its that time of year again:  Time for fun in the sun, balmy breezes and  (Ouch!) wet sand in your bathing suit!  The ever-popular beach vacation just cannot be beat,  imho.  Of course, I may be biased about this after having grown up frolicking in the azure waters of the world's most beautiful beaches.  The ones along the gulf coast of Northwest Florida.  You know, that amazing place

"where thousands live like millions wish they could"?

Okay,  I will concede  that there are uniquely beautiful vistas along the westernmost portion of the United States and the Atlantic Coast has its plusses as well.  To be honest, I am drawn to bodies of water almost indiscriminately.  Rivers, creeks, bayous, bays,...something about the wet stuff has exhilirated, inspired or calmed me since the days of my youth.

As a child I dreamed of seeing the world...the world's beaches, that is.  I swam in the bays and bayous of Northwest Florida, dipped my feet in the chilly autumnal Atlantic Ocean near Georgia's Jekyll Island, cruised to Mississippi's Ship Island, and spent days exploring Pensacola Beach. 

I've compared the shore materials of Treasure Island in south Florida with the sandy white beaches of the Florida panhandle.  Thanks to that mandatory marine biology class in high school, I even know how it got there. However, knowledge is not what makes these places stand out in my mind after more than forty years; it's the memories associated with these places that makes them so special. 

Whether it was a simple camp out near the lake or an elaborate beach house reunion, what was your favorite water vacation and why? 

Relaxation Day: August 15th

I have two questions for you:

1. What's stressing you out right now? 
2. What are you going to do about it?

If you're busy juggling life's bowling pins and flaming swords like most of us, it wasn't hard to answer question #1.  What about question #2?  Well, maybe knowing that August 15th is "Relaxation Day" will inspire someone to stop and smell the barbecue with a La Bella Bud Time Barbecue Gift Basket  or share a delightfully loaded Movie Night basket with someone special.

Some well-meaning person told me years ago to "Pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you."  How the heck is that supposed to work?  Doesn't one action cancel out the other?  Anyway, it sounded really deep so I tried to follow the older-and-wiser sage's advice. 

I set out with good intentions, but somewhere along the way I got confused at to which one of us was depending on whom.  Perhaps I subconsciously tried to lighten His load because He has so many more bowling pins and swords to manage than I do. 

Whatever the reasons, all I know is that I now find it hard to justify my down time, even when my body demands it. It's a sure sign of a life out of balance when I have to schedule a soak in that beautiful garden tub I had installed for just such an occasion and bring the cell phone in there, "just in case".

A beautiful and unique La Bella Spa Gift Basket with free shipping may be just what the blogger ordered for August 15th.  Happy Relaxation Day!
     

Inconvenience Was Answered Prayer

I woke up on Monday morning at 7:23 a.m.  The problem was, I was supposed to wake up at 5:00 a.m.  You see, I was scheduled to attend a very important mediation appointment which required me to leave home no later than 6:15 a.m. in order to be on time. 

On Sunday night, I carefully set my cell phone alarm for 5 a.m. and my bedside alarm clock for 5:30 a.m., just in case. I even re-checked them before going to bed; they both worked just fine. Both timepieces lay equally silent the next morning-well past their appointed times. 

I leaped out of bed and into my carefully prepared outfit, unwilling to admit the hopelessness of my efforts.  In a panic, I called to request to explain the situation and received a decidely cool response.  She called back a short time later, this time using friendlier tones and offered me an alternate appointment date. 

The upshot of it all is that the other party did make it to the meeting but refused to cooperate, thereby nullifying the negotiations attempt.  I would have wasted valuable time and resources had I kept this appointment. So, I was in a panic and stressing over nothing. I was definitely in need of spa gift basket from my favorite company this week.

 The clocks?  They have been ringing on time everyday since and I didn't reset them. 

Has anyone else experienced similar occurrences?  Please feel free to share a time when the worst possible thing happened and how it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Of Mothers and Daughters

I've been told that I am a great listener and it is not unusual to have perfect strangers take me into their confidence regarding issues I'd rather not be privy to.  No, I am not a therapist by trade; I am simply a person who finds people complex, interesting and definitely worth studying.  I am also a dedicated homeschooling mom of 13 years.


Parenting toddlers after leaving corporate America during the 1990s forced me to slow down and pay attention to the littlest things.  Early on, I took great pride in being able to accurately translate their coos, gurgles and grunts.  Life was so much simpler during those wonderful pre-adolescent years.  That was before I realized why my mother had seemed to age rapidly during my teen years.

A recent conversation with my teenaged daughter ended with lots of tears and hugs.  I'd like to say that this touching display of emotion was the by-product of a greeting-card like moment, but it was not.  It was instead the result of trying unsuccessfully to navigate the parent/teen conversation minefield that some sadistic communication genie zapped into place the night before my firstborn became a teenager. 

What She Said:
"Mom, I'm really disappointed with my favorite celebrity.  I really looked up to her because I thought she was the Ultimate Woman and I wanted to be like her.  Now, I guess I will have to learn how to be that woman on my own."

What I Heard:
"Mom, since you didn't fit the Ultimate Woman description, I've spent the past eighteen years studing a stranger from afar.   Now that I'm old enough to see through the superficiality of celebrity images, I am once again searching for a strong female role model. Thanks a lot, mom."

What I Said:
"I don't know why you're behaving like a strong female role model is SO hard to find, blah, blah, blah... there are examples right in front of you, blah, blah blah...."

What She Heard:
"Quit bothering me with your little problems and grow up; I've more important things to deal with right now..."

The ensuing tears and emotional distress made me stop and revisit paying attention to the littlest things, i.e. this child had never been one given to histrionics.  Feeling like a heel, I rushed to embrace her and apologize, though I did not yet understand the nature of  her pain.  She nodded and returned my hug but I knew I had violated something in our relationship.

Nearly twenty-four hours passed and I was still pondering about the previous day when it suddenly dawned on me that I had failed to follow my favorite adage: connect the dots.  My daughter and I had conversed on the subject of finding our place in the world as individuals on numerous occasions and the talks had been lively and passionate.  Why was this time so different?

Well, the topic had been broached as we rushed around preparing to receive a relative who was enroute after giving really short notice.  This person is a notoriously critical sort who manages to find something or someone wanting on any given occasion.  I know; it would have been easier to just say "No", right? Well, I didn't and I was really ticked off at myself for not requiring our uninvited guest to reschedule. 

Apparently, time and distance had only lessened but not eradicated our foolish desire for this person's rare expressions of approval.  So, one phone call was all it had taken to put everyone in high-alert mode, past criticisms and the resultant feelings of inadequacy echoing through our psyches as we rushed around. 

The next day, my daughter and I sat down to talk about what had taken place between us.  I explained that I had reacted to what I had perceived as her disappointment with me as a role model and she looked at me.  I mean  really looked at me.  She assured me that she was thankful for what I had taught her about being a woman; she had only been trying to communicate her trepidation at being on the brink of womanhood and having to redefine her self-image.  This time I listened to her.  I mean really  listened.  I think we're going to be okay.