A PERFECT 10

As the days since the return from our vacation slip by, I feel less inclined to write about “Our Vacation”, and more inclined to reflect on “vacation”. I am referring to that state of mind, one that could, conceivably, be accomplished almost anywhere, but one that often requires being removed from the everyday distractions. Moving further and further south on our trip, the distractions began to fade. Russ and I became more “together” with one another, enjoying that closeness we got married for. As we did the usual things,

 visiting swamps,

 beaches,

 forts,

.................distant relatives, museums, even rambling around gift shops,

we enjoyed being….....

 together,

……laughing at our inside jokes, discussing our mutual discoveries of the interesting or bizarre, and being side by side while experiencing the joy of soaking in some of God’s beautiful Creation.

Still, there is that mental moment for me, when my brain suddenly says, “Aha, THIS is vacation.” It may be the moment when my brain let’s go of the last of the residual stress, or when a new experience lifts my view of life, or in a moment of silence, when that still small voice whispers its secrets. Sometimes, it’s when all of that happens at the same time.

One of our last stops in Florida, as we headed back north into Georgia, was in St. Augustine. We spent the night on Vilano Island, just across the causeway, in a third floor room with a balcony facing the Atlantic Ocean. It was a warm enough night to leave the door open for the cool breezes and the steady rhythm of the surf, as it drummed its soothing heartbeats all night. And, in the morning, with my head still lying on the pillow, snuggled safely in Russ’s arms, cool breeze filling my lungs, came the sun, in full view, framed in the doorway, up out of the ocean, to greet me.

Ahhhhhh………..vacation.