By the Sea

It has been a long time since we have been away from the city. So, to get away from the city, we went to Seattle. I know. It is city. No offense, Seattle. It is a beautiful place. My daughter has defined city as the busy, hurried, loud streets of NYC. We drove from the airport to her cousin's house in Seattle and Graciebug took a deep sigh as she looked out the window at the shore of the sound dappled with houses and said, "I love the country!" We laughed, but we knew what she meant.


It has been a long winter in the city and everyone, even seasoned New Yorkers, need to find their way away from the streets and concrete to breathe in the fresh air. And us, we aren't life longers in the city we love. At heart, my daughter wants to explore the outdoors and return to the days of living by the sea. She misses the island life.

But it is more than that. It has been a busy, stressful time and Gracie feels things intensely. A little refocus, a little family and lots of fresh air was just what she needed...what we all needed.
Being able to take a few moments to let go of all the things you need to do, all the places you need to be, and all the roles you need to play to just be right where you should be, just the way you truly want (and need) to be is pretty refreshing...rejuvenating.
So we did that. We were still and we were busy being not so busy. We played in the rain...like we used to when we were living in the islands, a place that knows what it means to be. We splashed in the ocean. We played. We spent time with family. We just lived in the moment.
And in time, her worried, heavy heart was replaced with a big smile and a laugh so full and wonderful, it made my heart fill with joy.

Just to be...




This is the face of a very content and happy little girl. I learned a lesson during our week in Seattle (the countryside). I need to make sure we take BACK more of that time that we spend in the busy world and get back to the life we learned how to live in the islands and spend a bit more time splashing in the sea.