A Tale of Two Thursdays

Last Thursday, I was in Florida.  If you're reading this, you probably already knew this because I posted about it on FB ad nauseam.  Sorry about that.  Anyway, last Thursday dawned with extremely cold temperatures.  When I went to bed on Wednesday night, I knew it was going to be cold, so I contemplated not getting up to walk the beach.  I had "promised" to post a "Twenty Sunrises Over Sanibel" album, and if I did not get up, I would only have nineteen.  Don't get me wrong, I was pretty sure that no one was waiting with bated breath, but it was a sort of promise I made to myself.  So, I left the condo late, planning on just snapping a picture then scurrying back to the warmth.  Sunrise on the beach is like a siren's song to me, so I began to walk through first light as I anticipated the sunrise.  I am so glad I did not miss it.  It was beautiful.

As I continued to walk, I became extremely cold, so I took a shortcut to head back to our condo via the bike path.  I ran into Max and his parents, who were standing on a dock by the Sanibel River (I think).  The Switzer Juniors wanted to go to a little bakery on the island to get a coconut doughnut, which they all love.  I offered to drive, but not being a fan of coconut, I did not participate.  As we were driving to the bakery, I heard from the Hendersons, who were interested in having breakfast.  We picked them up, went to a favorite restaurant for breakfast, drove back to the bakery so Simmy could have a doughnut and where Max got a second one, this time chocolate with sprinkles.  Don't judge, we were on vacation, and I'm Mellie.

Mr. L was running, who knows how many miles, but had finished by the time we returned to the condo.  I had mentioned while we were out that I wanted to go to Ding Darling, a nature preserve, to see what I could see.  Mr. L is not a fan, but everyone else was onboard.  We saw wonderful sights there, mainly birds, but not the typical birds one sees in Nashville.  It was great fun.

  As we drove back, Uptown Funk was played loudly and several times.  I feel fairly certain we were violating multiple island noise ordinances, but it surely was fun.  There's nothing quite like 2 five-year-olds dancing in the backseat screaming "just watch" at the appropriate times, and a two-year-old screaming "uptown funk."  None of us will hear that song without thinking of this trip.

Everyone sort of did their own thing for the next couple of hours, either at the beach or pool.  It was too cold to get in the pool, but Marshall and Max went anyway.  Most of you know that I am a 9 on the enneagram so I stepped out with great courage and suggested a late lunch at Gramma Dot's at the Marina.  The whole group was very kind and agreed to go, even Mr. L, who had his doubts.  Some came in the car, I walked, some rode bikes.  We all arrived about the same time and looked at million dollar boats as we waited for our table.  The waitress said we were the only people who opted to wait that day for an outside table.  It was sunny and cool and the food was delicious and it was just the loveliest time.

It was a Thursday that did not hold a lot of promise as far as weather in Florida is concerned, but it is one of the times I remember most fondly of our trip.

Today, I am in Nashville.  I got up early because I was driving Marshall to an appointment.  After dropping him off, I ran one Balega sock (love these socks) to my sister's house.  She left it in Florida.  Everyone in the family was gone except for my niece, and I had a short, but lovely chat with her. I ran some errands and picked Marshall up.  He asked if I was hungry.  He wanted to go somewhere we had never been, but he wanted a place similar to Sanibel Fresh.  We're having a hard time with vacation being over.  I suggested First Watch and we had the loveliest time together.  I actually ordered bacon and a lightly dressed green salad, mixed the two together, had hot hibiscus tea, and it was delightful.  The company was wonderful too.

Marshall is working at my house, so when we got home, I walked, he worked.  Before he left, we tried a few science experiments of burning sugar and soda.  Lighter fluid was suggested, but I only had acetone (to unglue my fingers when I use SuperGlue).  While the experiments did not work as anticipated, they were still very cool. We also sprayed a little foam around here and there, so when it dried, I could play with it.  Oh, and acetone is the only thing that takes the foam off your skin.  That acetone is quite the handy substance.  Off to pick up Sim from school and get hugs and kisses from Violet.  As I type, I wait for Mr. L to pick me up as we are having dinner with some of my favorite people in the world ~ the staff at Otter Creek.

Two Thursdays.  Very different. Both lovely. As my friend, Josh, says, it is all gift.  I am deeply aware that I do not deserve to have any of these sorts of days.  That is why, I do not want to squander them by wishing I had something bigger, or more, or different.  I pray that I will rest in the sheer delight in every moment, and revisit these peaceful days when life is not going smoothly.