Happiness

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The key to happiness may just be appreciating where you are at any given moment… embracing that whole “love where you live” vibe.

Fridays are tough. By the end of a long week, I’m usually exhausted, feeling as if I’ve crossed some imaginary finish line and desperately need a little rest. But with summer’s end right around the corner, there’s no way Tim wants to miss a moment of the weekend. So, off we went!

We headed to our beach club, me with visions of fine dining in the cool air of the dining room, and Tim apparently with visions of a barstool at the tiki bar, listening to a band. If compromise is also a secret to happiness, let it be known that I was the one who bent.

Tim wasn’t loving the vibe in the dining room, so we claimed a couple of seats at the outdoor bar, watching the band and enjoying the evening. Of course, I secretly asked the bartender for the upstairs menu and ordered myself a delicious dinner to go. Take that for being flexible!

I sat at the bar eating a mouthwatering pork chop with plastic utensils, which, if you know me, you know was a compromise all by itself. Fine dining this was not, but honestly, the pork chop was delicious, the music was playing, and I was sitting outside with a view of the water. Maybe happiness really is about appreciating the moment rather than insisting the moment look exactly the way you imagined it.

By 9:30, though, I was fading fast. Tim was less than thrilled when I announced it was time to head home. It was far too early for him, but hey… we all have to make sacrifices sometimes. Marriage is all about compromise, right? Some nights you get the band, some nights you get half the bands set list and an early bedtime. 

The beach, though, is never a compromise. It’s always beautiful, and it’s certainly not lost on me how lucky I am to live right here. I honestly don’t know how people live far away from the water. I couldn’t do it. Give me sunshine on my weekend days and I’ll happily plant myself firmly in the sand. Even a winter walk on the beach feels magical. There’s truly something about ocean air that seems to rejuvenate the soul.

So this weekend, I plan to soak up as much sunshine, sand, and salt air as I possibly can, recharging my body and soul for whatever Monday decides to throw at me. Because sometimes happiness isn’t about getting everything you want, it’s about looking around at what you already have and realizing you’re pretty darn lucky. And when home happens to be by the ocean, well… I’d say I’ve already won. 

“The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” — Paulo Coelho