C is for Coast

I'm back from a few days in one of my favorite places, Rosemary Beach.  This little town on Florida's gulf coast has everything - a cool coffee shop, amazing restaurants, a few great boutiques, and of course, a gorgeous beach!  The greens and blues of the water, the sugar white sand, the crashing of the waves - the sights and sounds of the ocean have always calmed and comforted me.  Every evening we'd walk down to the beach to watch the sunset and marvel at the way the light bathed the water and sand in a rosy, shimmering glow.  And most nights, we'd walk back to the beach after dinner to gaze at the multitude of stars above the dark water.   It's easy for me to forget the minutia of my own life when standing next to the immense, ever changing entity that is an ocean.  It is perspective on the grandest scale of all!

I can admit it now - I was worried that Rosemary would somehow feel different this time around. It was definitely a study in moderation for me, something for which I am not generally known. I took a daily nap to keep up my stamina,  limited my wine consumption, and opted for appetizer size portions for many of my meals.   But I finally realized that the only one who cared how much wine I drank was me, and in the end, I really didn't care that much.  The truth is, I am different than the last time I was there, but so are my friends, so is the town itself.

My "moderation vacation" was actually pretty wonderful. The weather was perfect, every meal was better than the last and I read two great books.  And each evening when I watched the sunset over the gulf, I did so in the company of four smart, funny and compassionate friends.  We're already looking at houses for our next trip to this special place, whenever that might be.   In the meantime, I'll treasure my memories of surf, sand and laughter.