We just got back from spending five days at Ocean City, Maryland. It's a tacky sort of beach town that has amusement parks and video game arcades and a boardwalk. You walk past one shop after another selling ice cream and french fries and T-shirts and cover-ups and sunglasses and boogie boards and other sorts of beach paraphernalia. Most of the restaurants are pretty basic -- pizza, seafood, burgers and ribs. Most of the people are pretty basic too.
We stay right in the middle of the action at an old hotel that has a big front porch with rocking chairs that face the boardwalk. It's far from luxurious -- the beds sag in the middle and you don't get complimentary toiletries and the WIFI is temperamental -- but it's clean and friendly, it offers tea and coffee 24x7, and you can rent bicycles on the premises.
Why do I insist on a beach vacation at least once every summer? Why do I love it so? Why doesn't it feel like summer is complete without it? Partly because it reminds me of my childhood, and vacations that I took with my parents to similar beach towns -- Altantic City and Wildwood, New Jersey; Jones Beach and Coney Island, New York. My husband says that when I'm at the beach, I'm always 11 years old. But there are other reasons that "going to the beach" is a restorative thing to me, a thing that brings a smile to my face and a new spring to my step.
Wikipedia defines vacation a leave of absence from a regular occupation. It further explains that "in today's digital society, vacationers may choose to unplug for all or portions of the time, thus separating themselves from the demands of constant digital communications." Yes, that's part of what I love about the beach. It's totally different from being at home. Most of my daily routine (except for early-morning 2-Step meetings) is totally changed. My "to do" list is ignored, and the temperamental WIFI at our hotel forces me to let my incoming email pile up and remain unread. I admit that I do post the occasional photo of a beautiful sunrise on Facebook, but no one's perfect. But ah, the beach. There's no place quite as relaxing, beautiful or pleasant to spend time without electronic gadgets.
The beach just makes me feel good. Sunshine is a great source of vitamin D, and my doctor says I need more of that.I've also read that the minerals in the ocean could help reduce symptoms for people with arthritis. According to a study, patients who spent time around salt water experienced fewer symptoms, like morning stiffness and trouble with hand gripping. You know what else can help relieve symptoms of arthritis? Getting enough vitamin D.
My beach vacation includes very little time actually sitting on the beach. When I'm at the beach, I love to walk. I mean LONG walks right along the exact place where the water and the sand meet. I look at the people on the sand, and the kids in the water, and the birds in the air, and the little airplanes pulling banners that say "TONITE 1/2 PRICE MARGARITAS. JOE'S BAR&GRILL." I think about old friends and good times, and tell my husband stories about my childhood. Before we know it we've walked to the end of the beach, so we turn around and walk all the way in the other direction. Long enough to get good and tired -- and usually sunburned.And if we're not walking, we're riding rented bikes up and down the boardwalk, and along the streets of the town. Sometimes the boardwalk is so crowded that it's a real challenge to avoid other riders, as well as skateboarders, walkers, and families with young kids who have rented surreys and don't have a clue how to drive them. But it's part of what we do at the beach, and our bodies appreciate the exercise. Besides, I have to work off all of the ice cream that I eat at the beach. Every day.
In some mysterious way, being at ocean is good for my mind and my spirit. We are all connected to water from the beginning of life.When I see or hear the ocean -- or any large body of water -- I feel calmer, and closer to God. Prayer and meditation come easier when I'm sitting on the porch, in a rocking chair, watching and hearing the waves break along the shoreline. I feel like I'm a part of everything -- and everything is a part of me.
We stay right in the middle of the action at an old hotel that has a big front porch with rocking chairs that face the boardwalk. It's far from luxurious -- the beds sag in the middle and you don't get complimentary toiletries and the WIFI is temperamental -- but it's clean and friendly, it offers tea and coffee 24x7, and you can rent bicycles on the premises.
Why do I insist on a beach vacation at least once every summer? Why do I love it so? Why doesn't it feel like summer is complete without it? Partly because it reminds me of my childhood, and vacations that I took with my parents to similar beach towns -- Altantic City and Wildwood, New Jersey; Jones Beach and Coney Island, New York. My husband says that when I'm at the beach, I'm always 11 years old. But there are other reasons that "going to the beach" is a restorative thing to me, a thing that brings a smile to my face and a new spring to my step.
Wikipedia defines vacation a leave of absence from a regular occupation. It further explains that "in today's digital society, vacationers may choose to unplug for all or portions of the time, thus separating themselves from the demands of constant digital communications." Yes, that's part of what I love about the beach. It's totally different from being at home. Most of my daily routine (except for early-morning 2-Step meetings) is totally changed. My "to do" list is ignored, and the temperamental WIFI at our hotel forces me to let my incoming email pile up and remain unread. I admit that I do post the occasional photo of a beautiful sunrise on Facebook, but no one's perfect. But ah, the beach. There's no place quite as relaxing, beautiful or pleasant to spend time without electronic gadgets.
The beach just makes me feel good. Sunshine is a great source of vitamin D, and my doctor says I need more of that.I've also read that the minerals in the ocean could help reduce symptoms for people with arthritis. According to a study, patients who spent time around salt water experienced fewer symptoms, like morning stiffness and trouble with hand gripping. You know what else can help relieve symptoms of arthritis? Getting enough vitamin D.
We all tend to be happier in the brighter months of summer and less so in the gloomier months of winter, Sunshine CAN make us happier. A study
conducted in Australia
found that the amount of sunlight participants' received directly affected their mood, and had a positive effect on stress, sleep and appetite. I'm not claiming that a lack
of beach time will lead to symptoms of depression, but I do believe that the beach has got a lot of what our bodies need, all in one beautiful place.
My beach vacation includes very little time actually sitting on the beach. When I'm at the beach, I love to walk. I mean LONG walks right along the exact place where the water and the sand meet. I look at the people on the sand, and the kids in the water, and the birds in the air, and the little airplanes pulling banners that say "TONITE 1/2 PRICE MARGARITAS. JOE'S BAR&GRILL." I think about old friends and good times, and tell my husband stories about my childhood. Before we know it we've walked to the end of the beach, so we turn around and walk all the way in the other direction. Long enough to get good and tired -- and usually sunburned.And if we're not walking, we're riding rented bikes up and down the boardwalk, and along the streets of the town. Sometimes the boardwalk is so crowded that it's a real challenge to avoid other riders, as well as skateboarders, walkers, and families with young kids who have rented surreys and don't have a clue how to drive them. But it's part of what we do at the beach, and our bodies appreciate the exercise. Besides, I have to work off all of the ice cream that I eat at the beach. Every day.
In some mysterious way, being at ocean is good for my mind and my spirit. We are all connected to water from the beginning of life.When I see or hear the ocean -- or any large body of water -- I feel calmer, and closer to God. Prayer and meditation come easier when I'm sitting on the porch, in a rocking chair, watching and hearing the waves break along the shoreline. I feel like I'm a part of everything -- and everything is a part of me.
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