Sometimes all your plans go out the window and you just have to soak it in, love it, live it. I was lucky to grow up spending summers in this beautiful part of the country, and even then I think I understood how special it was.
With Daddyo hard at work and holding down the fort, the six-pack (thanks, Libbie, for the moniker!) and I get to visit with my parents and younger brother on the east end of Long Island. Here’s a peek at our good life so far.
[slideshow]
Cross Sound Ferry from New London to Orient Point, skipped across Shelter Island
Watched fireworks Saturday night
Beach on Sunday: lots of shell-collecting, swimming, sand castles, and hermit crab “lazy river.”
My quick jaunt out to Main Street: Sylvester & Co. — full of smart, chic, useful and delicious things, including Dreamy coffee. This is one of the times I go back to my coffee habit. It’s just too good. No dairy. 🙂
Stopped in Provisions Natural Foods, the store in which I worked when I was 16 years old. I remember feeling so different, so insecure, self-centered and generally not happy with myself.
I recall the Buddhist teaching emblazoned on my tote bag from Elephant Journal:
If you want to be unhappy, think only of yourself.
How things have changed (in my mind, thankfully)!
Yet so much is still wonderfully the same.
Main Street. Salt air. Farm stands. Lots of open space. Scuttle Hole Road. The American Hotel.
My eternally giving mom and dad. The hammock on the porch. Sweet Hunny the dog. Mom’s incredible cooking. Dad’s endless fountain of knowledge. About everything.
Daniel jokes that he listens to NPR for three weeks before we visit my parents. It’s not really a joke.
Having no agenda other than spending time together, eating well, and having fun.
The only thing person missing is Daniel.
On deck for tonight: 90 minutes at Yoga Shanti with world-renowned Rodney Yee. I missed his class at Wanderlust and was tickled pink to find out that he and his wife have a beautiful studio right in Sag Harbor.
Peace.
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I’m glad I’m beyond sixteen too! Beautiful pictures.
Isn’t is great to know your self and be comfortable with who you are? Oh, if we could somehow bottle it. But then again, we have to feel discomfort and unsteadiness to know ease and peace. 🙂
Thank you, Kim!
So true. It is a good reason to celebrate the aging process – there are enough reasons people find to complain about it!
Always on point, Kim!
I’m reading Ram Dass’ Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying. Page 114:
The following stanza from the Tibetan school of Buddhism will help us begin our practice of looking at time and change through new eyes:
Prolong not the past
Invite not the future
Alter not your innate wakefulness
Don’t fear appearances
There is nothing more than that.
Wise . . . and very difficult. A work in progress for all of us, especially in our appearance-driven culture.
Hi Lisa. I think you have already been nominated for this, but I do love your blog, so I have nominated you for the ‘lovely blog award’. You can get detailed information here: https://haijinamin.wordpress.com/lovely-blog-award/
Kim-the-smart-and-kind-one: Thank you so much, and how I appreciate your insights, intelligence, and warmth. I’ve just started on my long-overdue blog award post, and your beautiful gift arrived to give me a lift. xo
You certainly know how to lift one’s spirits as well! “The smart and kind one” – you see me as I would like to be seen. That is INDEED a gift.
Everything you post is filled with incredibly positive energy! You exude it and transmit it effectively 😀 ! I know I have changed, too… going through my journals I can see now that the way I talk to myself is much better than how I used to talk to myself previously.
How was your journey to get to where you are now?
Such an incredibly nice thing to say, Erika! Truth be told, I still need to hit the reset button just about every day 🙂
The trip was pretty good…taking the ferry makes all the difference, especially with the kiddos. Six hours in total — but three hours to New London, hour and a half on the Cross Sound Ferry, beautiful drive from Orient Point to Greenport, another ferry to hop across lovely Shelter Island and one more short ferry to Sag Harbor. The bickering was minimal because they were so excited about where we were heading.
More than you asked, but thank you nonetheless!
On the self-talk note, I’m re-reading Louise L. Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life while I’m here and Rolf Gates’ Meditations from the Mat. Hope you’re doing well, Erika. 🙂
Hi Lisa
You write good stuff up here, so please keep penning and keep inspiring! 🙂
I would like to thank you for following my blog. I hope my blog doesn’t disappoint you and that your visits in my blog have been and will always be a joyful ride.
Thank you again and I wish you a lovely day! 🙂
Subhan Zein
Subhan: I’m so enjoying your fantastic blog so far and look forward to really diving in! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words.
🙂 Lisa