Well here we are again. Saturday night and I am ready for bed. (Did I mention it's 7:30 pm?) Sometimes I feel like such a slacker. It was a beautiful day, but instead of going to the beach we decided to stay at home and hang out in the backyard. Now, I do have to say, I worked at the office until 11:30, went grocery shopping, and did a few errands, so by the timeI got home it was 1:30. Malcolm had already taken Ava to the park and for a bike ride, so the idea of staying home was fine with her. We filled her wading pool, and took out her Bouncy House, so she had plenty of amusements. Malcolm and I sat (well, for minutes in between answering requests) and chatted and enjoyed the sun and outdoors.
We are meeting some friends for dinner tomorrow evening (with Ava) and so I just wanted to hang out today. The beach involves a one-hour drive (more, if traffic is bad), paying for parking, shlepping countless items onto the beach, setting up beach spot, and then trying to keep as much sand as possible away from Ava. (Did I mention that kids with trachs really should not be near sand? She can wear a trach cap, but we still have to be hyper vigilant.) We also have to watch her carefully in the ocean, as does any parent.
I watch my friends go to the beach. They have to shlepp a ton of stuff too, but they seem to have a higher tolernace for the sand and heat than I do. And, if I was at a rental house,or hotel on the beach, I'd likely have more patience too. it just seems like so much work for so little payoff. But I do love the beach. I love swimming in the ocean and bouncing in the waves. I always did, even as a kid. I have a healthy respect for the ocean, as its waves tossed me around and washed me upon shore like an old soda can many times. I will always love the smell of the sea, the riding on the waves, and the thrill of watching a wave build and seeing if it was going to kick my butt. I love the beach.
But, as I've said many times, things are different when you are the parents of small children. My friend Debbie recently wrote a blog about vacationing with small children, and it was so true. Vacations are rarely restfull or relaxing for adults; they are really for kids, BUT they are so worth it when you see your children smile with joy. And a beach vacation is something special. Last year, we went to Myrtle Beach in SC with a bunch of craniofacial families. It was Ava's first time in the ocean and she really enjoyed it.It was kind of funny...all these kids with trachs were under umbrellas, with not one grain of sand on them, while every other kid was covered in the stuff.
We always used to get sand everywhere, and my mother diligently scrubbed us all when we got home. We knew before we went anywhere, we had to have a bath. I also recall my mother's cousins Joan and John had a summer beach house in Long Island; we'd go there at least once a summer to spend a day or two at the beach. It was very rocky...there were pebbles everywhere. But we loved it, especially because there was a playground (the old-fashioned kind where the metal slide hit 108 degrees by noon) and a man who sold Italian ice from a push-wagon. I am thinking of getting a push wagon and selling hot dogs, beer, and Italian ice from my propery next to the golf course. My husband insists I'd need a liquor license and a few other assorted permits, but he is a spoiled sport, and I bet none of the golfers would rat me out. While I know this is crazy, I would love to do it.
But I digress, as usual...I am not sure what my point was when I started...oh yes! It was that one can be content in one's life, even if one is just sitting about in one's livingroom. Whether at the beach or at home, today was one nice day!
