Beach anyone?
For the last several years my wife and I vacationed on Coronado Island in California for a weekend or sometimes a week. We always loved our time spent there, but within a few days of arriving, the time would slip away quickly and we would feel the heartbreaking feeling of knowing we would be leaving again. We would try to absorb every last breeze and crashing wave before saying goodbye and heading back to our normal life again. We often talked about retiring there or even spending a summer there. So, two years ago, we compromised somewhat in the middle and decided to stay a month there to see what we would learn. Also, would living there for a month be different than vacationing there?
In January of that year, I found a second floor condo that had an opening for the month of June. We booked our stay. It had a beautiful view of the Glorietta Bay Marina and was a two block walk to the Coronado Beach.
Preparing for a long vacation, or a short living stay, however you want to view it, was a little nerve racking. I mean, everyone’s anxiety is bound to go up a bit when you consider the length of the stay. We pushed through and arrived. Unpacking and actually hanging up clothes this time in the closet. We used the dresser drawers too, since we had to make it our home for a month.
The first week was so different than we imagined. We found ourselves slowing down way more than anytime we had stayed there before. Just the fact that we knew we had plenty of time ahead of us, made us unwind more than we have ever unwound before. The first 7 days was filled with naps, staring outside at the movement of boats and people walking by the bay, long walks on the beach - both morning and night, and letting go of stress we didn’t even know we had been carrying.
It seemed we had changed our perspective over that first week. Normally on vacations, we would find ourselves on the go from sun up to late at night to maximize our time on vacation. Seeing all the sights, eating at all the places we wanted to, and experiencing all the things we could fit into a week or less vacation. I would often joke on the way home that I needed a vacation from my vacation, due to how busy we had been. But, because we had 30 days out in front of us, and even at a week in, 21 days left on vacation, nothing seemed like we needed to do it now! We would casually put it off and say things like, ‘Maybe we can do that next week.’
I’ve never experienced that type of slowdown before. Not in my normal days at home or on vacation, but I really liked it. It felt so natural.
Another thing we wondered about was if we could stay put locally and not use our vehicle. So, we parked it day one and walked everywhere. We walked to the grocery store, the beach, the restaurants, the park for events, and even walked to the other side of the island one day while exploring. I have a steps counter on my phone and my wife has one on her Apple Watch too. We walked about 8 to 13 miles a day. It was quite a bit, but more enjoyable than I thought. The weather was a main factor for sure.
Being back, we actually miss the walking. We live in a car centric culture and I never really noticed how disconnecting and isolating our cars are. Just another takeaway we noticed.
Well, this year, we were able to plan another long stay for the summer. I wonder what we will learn from it this year.
-Steve
