So I went to the beach last weekend for a little getaway.  It was the first time all year that I went “away” by myself.  All the other travels this year were to visit people or with other people, namely family.  A little down time was much needed.

I took a couple of books with me (of course!), one of which was tips on simplifying your life.  One of the tips was to take a weekend retreat which was rather timely.  I have therefore decided to call the beach weekend a “retreat weekend”.  I am seriously considering making it yearly thing to do.

Anyway, this is how the weekend went in terms of slowing down and relaxing.  I planned to leave around noon on Friday.  I managed to get somewhat ahead of the game at work Thursday afternoon leaving only loose ends to tie up Friday morning.  The game plan was to work a few hours, finish packing, do a grocery run, eat lunch, and then leave.

It was a great plan except for the work part since one of my managers decided to assign some urgent work to me late Thursday afternoon.  I could have left it go until Tuesday but I knew that it would be on my mind for the weekend so I set aside the loose ends and finished up the urgent work.  So much for an easy morning….that left rushing through the final packing, a rushed trip to the grocery store followed by a quick lunch.  I still managed to make it out the door by 12:30.

After a 2+ hour drive in the maniacal Florida highway traffic, I arrived at the hotel, checked in and went straight out to the beach. And that’s where things got interesting.  I realized I couldn’t relax.  The “to do” list or “wanna do” list for the weekend was still running through my head.  Should I read?  Should I go for a walk?  Oh yeah, I need to find some shells! No, no, no…just sit down.  Wait, I need to stop by the grocery store for some final munchies.  Should I go now or wait?  What time does the sun set?  Which should I do first.

Isn’t that how we live our lives?  A constant tape running through our heads of what to do and when to do it?

I did the grocery run. Ate some dinner.  And then waited for the sun to set.  Oh, and some reading, did some of that, too.

By Sunday night, I knew when the sun would set and knew what I wanted to do.  No more to do, it was “just be”.  I pulled the chair out to the beach around 6 and just listened to the waves and waited for the sunset show.

When I returned to my room this is what I wrote:

Sitting on the beach tonight for sunset – watching the birds and dolphin. 

Just sitting. 

Listening to the waves. 

Totally present. 

Not thinking about anything in particular. 

Not thinking about a to do list. 

Not thinking about what else I could or should be doing.

Just waiting for sunset.

That is peace.

That is relaxation.

That is being centered.

That was the purpose of this weekend. 

And then I came home.  What was the first thing I did?  Write up a grocery list, think about the sequence of shopping, dentist appointment, laundry, and picking up the dog from the kennel.  The spell was broken.