I find myself falling asleep in a slump of exhaustion more often lately. The hubbub of everyday life has taken over and days seem to blur into one enormous routine.
When my fiancé surprised me with a trip to the beach, I grabbed the opportunity to indulge in an entertaining book in the sand, listening to the slow breaking of the Florida waves, creating an image of utter bliss in my mind.
Boy, was I wrong!
The first thing that hit me after the ten-hour car ride to the Sunshine State was humidity. The crushing heat hit me like a brick wall, and my lungs nearly failed to expand due to the extremely hot, liquid-like air that tried to inflate them. My makeup literally melted off my face. So much so, that my fiancé laughingly told me that I closely resembled a melting mud-like monster from the old Scooby-Doo cartoons.
Finally reaching the beach, the sand on the beach turned into hot coals. Running to a cool spot on the slightly damp sand on the edge of the ocean left me with tiny blisters on the bottom of my soles. Sunbathing becomes ruined by hot sand hitting my body like minuscule knives, blowing in the slight breeze as salty sweat runs from my hairline to my eyes.
The cherry on top, however, is the fact that my fiancé and I were accompanied by my mother-in-law-to-be. The 65-year-old Southern belle was adamant about having her way, regardless of our wants or needs.
In the end, I realized, lying on my bed in Tennessee, that I am perfectly content with my life the way it is.
I can sunbathe on our ten-by-ten-foot floating dock on the lake next to our house whenever I want, with a cocktail made to my specific tastes, without the exorbitant costs associated, and when I feel like escaping from the heat, I can do so whenever I choose.
Sometimes life might get a little hectic. Routine could be synonymous to monotony at times, but life is all about your attitude.
If you choose to throw in a few surprises for yourself and break away from the eat-work-eat-sleep routine, your life might surprise you back.
Stay-cations might just save you from blisters under your feet and keep a stable relationship with your in-laws.
