No long blog today... just my musings about the most amazing thing I did this weekend-- I flew a kite. I have not flown a kite in, seriously, 35+ years & while on a camping trip with my husband & son near Bodega Bay, we did just that. My kiddo did the flying at first, but then I so wanted to try it... to feel the tug & pull of a cheap, plastic kite against the wind, marvel at the magic of it bobbing & zagging with an ocean breeze. I didn't want the experience to end & felt that rarity of being fully present in those ultra-simple moments.
I had more ridiculously basic awesomeness-- including the unexpected surprise (& panic!) of having no cell reception at our campsite, not even one sporadic bar. After I got past the worry, it was bliss.
We even sat around the campfire one night & played "Family Table Topics" (tabletopics.com). The 3 of us divulged the 1 thing we regret saying & wish we could take back, our proudest accomplishment, which ancestor we wish we could've met (I was thoroughly touched when my son said my Dad, who passed away 16 years before he was born), which household chores we love & hate, what toppings would be on our ultimate ice cream sundae & so on, it was terrific!
The weather was a challenge one night with wind whipping so fiercely that it woke all of us up multiple times. Amusingly, we ended up taking an unscheduled, over-exhausted nap together in our tent the next afternoon-- my 49 year-old hubby, my 47 year-old self, & our soon-to-be 10 year-old kiddo splayed out on our sleeping bags & oblivious to the world, it was glorious, & decadent!
We enjoyed warm bowls of clam chowder, marveled at a beached harbor seal colony, played Uno, climbed rocks & collected shells.
Over 48 hours after our return I still have a smile when I think back on our great, nothing-too-special weekend away. I'm reminded that slowing down, keeping it simple, being right here, right now & even perhaps prohibiting technology - even if only for a few days - can leave you with a renewed sense of peace with the world.
So yeah, next time the opportunity presents itself, you can be sure I'll go fly a kite... :)
Comments