For the past four days, my husband and I took a much-needed break from the day to day. We traveled to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for rest, relaxation, and reflection. For this trip, I was determined to do a couple of things: meditate, reconnect with nature, be silent, be still, be grateful, be fun, and disconnect entirely from life back in the contiguous United States, particularly Chicago. I was searching for a true respite and to be fully honest with my experience about limiting outside distractions. No work email. Really? Yes. No phone calls. No laptop, iPad, or iPhone. No social media check-ins and no news or television.
I packed a beach bag that consisted of the latest edition of Kinfolk magazine, my Livescribe pen for story writing and sketching, and my Kindle with the latest download of the series of Oliver Potzsch’s novels about a medieval hangman, his daughter and their adventures. We spent our days in very simple ways and at a much slower pace than usual. Meals were enjoyed to their fullest while watching the waves of the Atlantic lap up onto the private beach. We lounged on the beach and tussled with the choppy ocean waves, kayaked on the small man-made lake, and strolled the vast property snapping pictures of Puerto Rican nature-scapes. All the while, we couldn’t help but smile at the loads of families there vacationing with their precocious little ones because spring break was on and school was out. Soaking in the sun’s rays every single day in near-perfect 88° weather, we spied the iguanas and other creepy crawlies including the local bird species of the lush terrain of the St. Regis.
We travel a lot and I have been to some great locales but in our return to Puerto Rico, I felt the freest I have felt in a while. I wrote until my Livescribe pen ran out of ink, read about halfway through my novel, captured some dreamy shots with my Canon powershot, and finished up my latest issue of spring Kinfolk. I also kept pace with the meditation challenge with a sharper, less cluttered mind due to my freedom status. I swam in the ocean which I rarely do, usually opting to bake on the beach. But this time, I jumped in the water with no fear of my contacts popping out due to the Lasik surgery I had recently and – most importantly – without a care for my hair (YES!), it being in its natural state now and all.
Towards the end of our lovely four days, my husband learned that a good friend had just passed away the night before. She had fought the good fight against the big “C” but had been called home by our Lord. We toasted to her life that evening during our last dinner in Puerto Rico and reflected on her larger-than-life personality and heart. I looked out at the waves and let the realization wash over me that she was now truly free, after all that fight, and looking down on all of us.
People say life is short. I believe life is what you make or remake it and who you make it with. But it must be lived fully, with purpose and with reference. Moments to reflect remind you of how precious life is and how in our various states of freedom, whether on vacation or in transition, we must always Be Here Now.
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