Shortcuts to Happiness

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Music, friends, and never-ending beach days that turn into beach nights... ahhh, summertime, I love you.

I spent the day at the beach, soaking up the sunshine surrounded by my kids and grandkids, making me one very happy mom. Watching my grown-up crew swim, laugh, and play games in the sand, you'd never guess my boys were adults...grandkids not far off from being grown ups.  For a little while, they were all kids again, the beach has a way of working magic.

When we all headed back to the house, my boys stopped to pick up sandwiches for everyone so I wouldn't be tied to the stove feeding the crowd. It was a thoughtful gesture and one I appreciated more than they probably realized. It meant I could enjoy every minute with the family instead of spending it in the kitchen.

I'm not sure how my little crew got so big, but standing beside my sons and grandsons, I look like I have my own personal team of bodyguards. They tower over me now, and it's hard to believe they were once the little boys I watched along these RI shorelines. 

As everyone scattered to their evening plans, my friend Judy arrived to join Tim and me at the beach club for live music and another perfect summer evening. We danced, laughed, caught up with friends, and enjoyed the ocean breeze as the sun slowly disappeared. I'll admit, though, after an entire day of lounging in the sun, I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

After the band's break, Tim glanced at the empty dance floor and smiled as he whispered in my ear,  "Even though you're completely sober and exhausted, I think it's up to you to get things going"...

So I walked out onto the sand and started dancing by myself as the first song played. Within a couple of minutes, friends joined in, then more people followed, and before long the dance floor was packed with smiling faces. Mission accomplished! I quietly slipped away to my chair, smiling as I admired the lively crowd from a distance. Sometimes all it takes is one person willing to take the first step.

Every time I'm at the beach club, I'm reminded just how fortunate I am to live where I do. Sitting on the beach with live music drifting through the warm night air, surrounded by wonderful friends, listening to the waves roll in, it feels like exactly where we're all meant to be on a hot summer evening.

Heaven really doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's simply a sandy beach, good music, the people you love, and one more summer day you wish would never end.

"There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them." ~ Vicki Baum