"Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand, just find a place to make your stand and take it easy."—Jackson Browne
Well, I kinda understand why people head South for the winter. Today we had blizzard-like weather on the beach. I thought about going for a walk with Scott out in it. He hasn't worked for two days due to the weather. Most of his jobs in his friend's contracting business are outside.
So, we put on 4-5 layers this afternoon—3 pairs of pants/long underwear, two shirts and a sweater, ski pants/jackets, gloves, hat(s), and face masks in preparation for heading out into the cold. In the end, my eyes were the only things you could see.
The roads had been salted, so the snow hadn't accumulated on the streets as we drove to Nauset Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. I thought, We'll just go for a little walk down the beach.
With the temperatures dipping down into the low teens and 30-40 mile gusts of wind, that walk didn't last long. We tried to drive up to Wellfleet to see the town in white, but it was seriously getting blizzard-like out there so we went home.
Well, we signed up for this. We decided we wanted A Year on Cape Cod. Well, almost a year. We are here at least until June 19th, if not longer.
But today...well today I was not prepared for a blizzard on the beach.
How many people would choose that as a vacation destination?
This isn't a vacation, though. This is our life. We are Cape Codders, for now.
Somehow the snow and wind, which forced us to be inside, made me realize just how isolated I am out here. When I'm out in nature, I feel so connected. When I can't get out in it and am home-bound, it's hard to feel connected.
I have NOT been following the news lately and have not been surfing the internet much. I have enjoyed lots of meditation, rest, writing, teaching, etc. I've enjoyed tuning in. But I do miss friends and family.
Given our current weather conditions today, I thought, just for a few moments, maybe I'll run away to Florida and see my family and friends down there. It's 70 degrees in the daytime.
Maybe I will or maybe I won't go?
Yes, sometimes life can feel cold, lonely, and isolating. But that's life!
'Blizzard on the Beach' is the perfect backdrop for that. It's as good a backdrop as any and the wildness of it has its own intrigue.
After all, life has its seasons and truthfully, I am a girl who appreciates seasons. I love long summers that seem to hold on until late September, fall (oh, my favorite!) when the leaves start to turn and everything, especially in New England, turns to fiery oranges, reds and yellows. I love the first snow and decorating for the season and getting in the holiday spirit.
But there's this time, between mid-January to March that seems like it will never end. In Seattle, it's WET and dreary with occasional sun breaks. Here in Massachusetts, the cold bites right through you. But on the Cape, we've been lucky. The weather dips down, but doesn't stay down thanks to the ocean which warms everything up. And man, I've soooo appreciated the SUN out here. I'm not use to all this sun, being a Seattle-girl and all. I could very-well become a sun worshiper. I could chase that sun around the globe. I need that light and warmth. I need to feel it in my bones, even if it's bitter cold outside.
I shouldn't complain. In Bristol, Vermont, where we went to see the leaves change in the fall, it's 5 degrees Here on Cape Cod at 5:48pm on a Friday night, it's 21 degrees. I'll take 21 degrees over 5 degrees any day.
Today, after attempting our walk on Nauset Beach, we drove over to Thumpertown Beach on the bay side, near our house. Scott and I sat in his truck staring out into the snow and icy waves. Seagulls flew sideways and the wind shook the car and blew the dry snow in swirls around the parking lot. Jackson Browne came on the radio singing his hit song, Take it Easy.
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels
Drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy....
In the spirit of taking it easy, Scott turned to me and said, "Maybe this would be a great day to take the kayak out!"
He was joking, of course, but it brought in a flood of memories of warm endless summer days when that now icy bay was flat, calm warm and inviting. I was reminded of a day late in September when it was in the 70s still and we took the kayak out and swam around until sundown.
Ah, life, I'm not even trying to understand anymore. I'm just going with what my gut tells me to do. I'm not following anyone. What's the point of that?
Each day is a gift, really. The rest...well...
In the end, what matters? That I followed what everyone else told me to do or that I lived well?
Everyone has got to make there own decisions in this life. Where you go and what you do is up to you. I'm not here to convince you of anything, except maybe to tell you that all the the answers you need, you've already got. It's just a matter of tuning in. And perhaps....taking it easy.
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