yesterday i was feeling just a little unlike myself. it seemed as though most friends were working or travelling for the weekend but i was still here. i wanted to go to the beach to read and relax and so i went by myself. people say “you were there by yourself?” when i tell them i went to the beach. they think its weird to go by yourself, but i personally love it. i mean, all you do is sit on a towel and read, sometimes talk, and nap so how much company do you need? i’d rather have company, i really would but i think i’m a-okay without it as well.
so yesterday, just as i’m beginning to get so annoyed with the japanese beetles burrowing in my hair and distracting me from my book, i look up and there is my cousin catherine walking down the beach. we used to hang out a lot more, i’d camp all the time with her family and sometimes took up residence at her house for days in a row. there are a multitude of memories that we share and unfortunately we’ve let “growing up” keep us apart and haven’t enjoyed one another nearly enough.
well this was company i’d surely welcome. she sat down, we caught up about life and jobs and living situations and college and then {as you do at the beach} we each read our own book for awhile before heading back up the beach to their camper where her family {and mine too, just not my immediate} was just beginning to cook lunch.
i sat down and it was just like old times. we chatted, laughed, ate twizzlers and i felt the same love and concern they had for me when i was in middle school come over me again. they have a passion and zest for life, they love one another deeply in that family, and they’re honest with one another. i love that.
and, to top it off. uncle john got a new chair. this isn’t your standard chair, its a tommy bahama everything all in one chair with backpack straps, a built in pocket for stuff, and a built in cooler. he’s pretty darn excited about it and made sure to let us know 🙂
so here’s to family. we get so caught up in running from this to that to the next thing but when an unexpected chance to hang out comes along, it’s magnificent. i want to make that happen on more than just a change but an effort to show that family matters.
remember your wellies 