Life Is A Beach...

Welcome to beautiful Lido Key in sunny Florida! And yes, it really is this incredible.

We have enjoyed a magnificent few days although I feel I left you behind because you are supposed to be enjoying this with me! So grab your wine, we have quite a bit of catching up to do.

While I never enjoy anyone being able to tell me "I told you so" my family definitely gets the privilege. I wasn't here five minutes and I was thanking my husband for standing his ground. I didn't know how desperately I needed to get away until we arrived. Now I have become a proverbial beach bum.

Currently I am sporting the best tan I have ever had! It must be known that I am a firm believer in the SPF50. And my children will attest to my SPF issues. Since they were babies I have slathered them with enough sunscreen to cover a nation. I would apply, let it soak in, and off they went. This has annoyed them tremendously, as my 16 year-old son felt at liberty to share as I drowned him in the white stuff his first day on the beach.

"Mom, I am 16 years old. Do we really need to do this?"

"Yes," I replied, "Because at two in the morning when you have a blistering burn you won't be calling for your Dad; you'll be begging me to put you out of your misery." I then proceeded with all the statistics of how having so many bad burns by the time one is 21 years old practically guarantees skin cancer, blah, blah, blah. He wasn't buying it.

I then pulled out the ultimate response: "You'll thank me when you're older." And me being the smart person I am, waited until three older ladies walked by to say it. They sang a litany of how smart this boy's mother is. Mom: One; Pasty white SPF'd-up-the-wazoo teenager: Zero.

This time away has been good for me. I have been walking about four miles a day along the beach and around the Key. I am beginning to feel my energy return and have committed to keep this up even when the cold Upstate climate becomes my reality once again. Today we rented bikes and rode up Longboat Key. My oldest daughter threatened to call Social Services on me because I was killing her with all this exercise. I told her she would thank me when she is older - we are making memories here as we breathe the fresh ocean air into our lungs. Mom: Two; television-junkee teenager: Zero.

I was down on the beach giving thanks for all of the blessings in my life. There is something about the ocean that makes me feel so small in the world yet reminds me how none of us are insignificant. Just like every grain of sand has its purpose, so do we. And it is important I remember this. I thanked God for never giving up on me and just when I thought my heart could hold no more, a school of dolphins swam up the Gulf. Absolutely amazing...

Lovely and decadent Vanessa gifted a wonderful book to me about the gift of giving over 29 days. I began reading it when I received it two weeks ago, but now I am going back to the beginning to start again. Sometimes we need to be completely emptied out to allow us to begin again. Vanessa, I thank you...let the 29 days begin.