When our governor first re-opened Florida in the wake of Coronavirus concerns, I was worried at first that people would be afraid to leave their homes and head to the beach.
Ha!
We all know how that went.
I can’t keep up with the calls from would-be renters desperate to break free from their home quarantines. It’s astonishing to realize just how many people are looking for relief, and a return to normal living.
But it got me to thinking. Even in so-called “normal times,” what is it about the beach – sans the pesky sea gulls – that calls out to us, long before we actually pack our bags and go?
Here are the 5 reasons I came up with:
1) Family – For many of us, this is the number one reason why people book a beach vacation. I so get this. For many years, summer meant hanging out at the Jersey shore with my dad and my sisters and their kids. I have wonderful memories of Pop making Mickey Mouse pancakes in the morning, before we all packed up and headed down to the beach for hours of lazy lounging, interspersed with short bursts of boogie-boarding or sand-castle building. In the late afternoon, we would pack up yet again and head to the pool to cool off before dinnertime. And that’s how it went for two weeks, every year for too many years to count. We just made great memories. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
2) Friends – Okay, I’ll admit it. I headed to the beach this week with friends to celebrate my birthday – in a socially-distanced appropriate way, of course! Cold beer, good conversation and great people sitting together against the backdrop of a breezy, sun-speckled ocean. C’mon, guys. Is there any better way to mark a major milestone?
3) Solitude – And then there are those at the other end of the spectrum. The people who just need to get away, by themselves, from the noise and chaos of their lives. One of my renters – let’s call him Joe – has done this for years. He spends several months in the winter in one of my units, just living his life, alone and content. It works for him. You’d be surprised. It works for a lot of people.
4) Healing – We don’t typically think of the beach as a sanctuary, but for some, it can become that quiet place to work out whatever it is that’s going on in your life. That’s what it was for my sister, who lost her husband to cancer when she was still in her 40s. I would watch her head down to the beach in the morning by herself, and wouldn’t see her again for hours. With the ocean in front of her, she washed away her grief in those first difficult years. When everything in your life has fallen apart, she would say, it’s good to watch dolphins frolicking in the waves. (She even made allowances for the damn seagulls, but she’s a more generous person. To me, they’re just cheese doodle thieves).
5) Finally…..the Experience – For someone who has never done it, it’s just exhilarating to throw up your umbrella with everyone else and join the beach crowd on a hot summer day. Don’t we all, at some point in our life, yearn to be part of the experience in a place where everyone just seems to beam with joy? It’s contagious (in a good way!). I feel the same way about mountains, by the way. Skiers and snowboarders are some of the happiest people on earth. Unfortunately, I don’t rent chalets.
Yeah, I totally get why my phone is ringing off the hook. The great news is this: We’ve gone above and beyond to keep our units safe (insert link from previous blog) so you can have a wonderful experience.
So if the ocean is calling you – for any reason – I know a place Sandy Beach Vacay.