Greetings from Marco Island, Florida on a windy evening with an unusually high tide and a full moon. Certainly distant squalls and weather bands of Tropical Storm Sandy have created a constant contrast of weather the past 48 hours. From what I hear it is nothing compared to what the northeast coast might experience in future days. The weather has been ideal for fishing, swimming, walking, and from what Trey shared, aggressive wave jumping on the beach. The weather was also cooperative for a Pilates reformer session with Crystal at Pink Island Fitness and Personal Training this morning. I will share more about my session, but suffice it to say, it has been a highlight of my stay.
I have to believe in most situations of family vacations that involve mixed generations there comes with it a degree of mixed stress. (If your family happens to be perfect then please share!)There is eustress or excitement at seeing family that you have missed for a year but perhaps some distress at familiar undertones or circumstances that create that tight feeling in your chest even though you try feverishly to claim immunity. We handle these feelings differently. Some are nonchalant, some reach for a pina colada, others try to pacify, some get angry and frustrated. As the middle child, even at 41, my tendency to just try to keep everyone happy...to relieve anxiety, to fix what is broke, to do what seems to be in the best interest of the majority even sometimes at the expense of my own sanity. This may sound dramatic or martyr-like but it's not. It's just accepting who you are, being willing to accept other personality types within your family circle, choosing your reactions, practicing what brings you peace and wellness while other times simply disengaging from who or what creates stress. In my case today it was an indulgence of 45 minutes of Pilates with a wonderful instructor. Tomorrow morning I plan for a 5 mile run from our intercoastal location on the north side of the island to where other family members are residing further south.
Like the weather, the vacation will not be perfect. For instance, the refridgerator will break, the toilet will need to be plunged, the water heater won't heat and condo keys (no sin is greater to the father) will be lost. But all will eventually fix itself, with sincere family cooperation, and the lost will be found....safely in a purse. The wind in the palm trees sounds beautiful, the waves heavy and constant, the moon shining faithfully. Spending time with my amazing sister-in-law is a gift. She and my brother are both facing storms of a different nature, storms of serious illness...not a lost key or a broken toilet. The kind of storms that we don't know when or how they might pass but Amy and Mike stay faithful and focused in their trust and enthusiasm for life.
Family relationships will never be perfect for me. I am not a perfect person and I bring extra baggage, the kind of baggage the airlines don't care to price! The kind of baggage that I would be happy if the airlines lost! I can't complain however because I know life itself is the perfect gift; even in extreme circumstances where the quality is tested it is still a precious gift and as my sister-in-law shared today always worth fighting for. To behold it, to relish it, to value it, with its quirks, its memories, its imbalance--that is the gift of life.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to resuming Pilates with you all November 5th!
I have to believe in most situations of family vacations that involve mixed generations there comes with it a degree of mixed stress. (If your family happens to be perfect then please share!)There is eustress or excitement at seeing family that you have missed for a year but perhaps some distress at familiar undertones or circumstances that create that tight feeling in your chest even though you try feverishly to claim immunity. We handle these feelings differently. Some are nonchalant, some reach for a pina colada, others try to pacify, some get angry and frustrated. As the middle child, even at 41, my tendency to just try to keep everyone happy...to relieve anxiety, to fix what is broke, to do what seems to be in the best interest of the majority even sometimes at the expense of my own sanity. This may sound dramatic or martyr-like but it's not. It's just accepting who you are, being willing to accept other personality types within your family circle, choosing your reactions, practicing what brings you peace and wellness while other times simply disengaging from who or what creates stress. In my case today it was an indulgence of 45 minutes of Pilates with a wonderful instructor. Tomorrow morning I plan for a 5 mile run from our intercoastal location on the north side of the island to where other family members are residing further south.
Like the weather, the vacation will not be perfect. For instance, the refridgerator will break, the toilet will need to be plunged, the water heater won't heat and condo keys (no sin is greater to the father) will be lost. But all will eventually fix itself, with sincere family cooperation, and the lost will be found....safely in a purse. The wind in the palm trees sounds beautiful, the waves heavy and constant, the moon shining faithfully. Spending time with my amazing sister-in-law is a gift. She and my brother are both facing storms of a different nature, storms of serious illness...not a lost key or a broken toilet. The kind of storms that we don't know when or how they might pass but Amy and Mike stay faithful and focused in their trust and enthusiasm for life.
Family relationships will never be perfect for me. I am not a perfect person and I bring extra baggage, the kind of baggage the airlines don't care to price! The kind of baggage that I would be happy if the airlines lost! I can't complain however because I know life itself is the perfect gift; even in extreme circumstances where the quality is tested it is still a precious gift and as my sister-in-law shared today always worth fighting for. To behold it, to relish it, to value it, with its quirks, its memories, its imbalance--that is the gift of life.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to resuming Pilates with you all November 5th!
Trey looks so much like his dad--he's been fishing off these docks since 2 years old! He loves every minute--a great hobby.
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