Time for a refill

The last few weeks have been emotionally and physically draining the life out of me, I know that the last two weeks I have been running on pretty much empty, and it really started to take a toll on my mental state, so I knew that some drastic measures had to be taken immediately if I didn't want to revert back to some of the old ways of thinking and being. So today I took a time out for me and only me and did exactly what I wanted.... I went on a little road trip. Not something that is easy to afford these days with the price of gas, but after all it was going to be worth it, no matter at what cost to the wallet, it just had to be done. The day was perfect, sunny blue skies, not a cloud in sight, the temperatures where good enough to warrant the roof of the Jeep and off I went.  This little road trip served two purposes, firstly to ward off my ever sinking moral and secondly as a reassurance that I will know how to get there next weekend for a function, ( I hate driving into the total unknown, not for my sake but if I am responsible for getting others there too, for me I don't care, the chance of getting lost and finding your way back is kind of a welcomed challenge at times). So the goal was Port Rowan  and then the leap to Long Point. I had never been there, the closest I came was Turkey Point, but Long Point was always a place of desire to go...so this was just perfect. I followed my little printed out Google instructions to a T and it was easy as pie to get there. I drove past the place of the final destination for next Saturday and made my way along Highway 59 to Long Point.  First I was just driving along but it didn't take long to give into the urge of just parking somewhere, get out of the Jeep and sit by the water. There is just something about sitting in the sand, listening to the water hit against the shore and just breathe the air. Not sure if it's just in one's mind or it's true that all beaches smell the same. Sitting there, with eyes closed, just feeling the sun you your skin, the sound of the water and the scent of the beach, brought back memories of every beach I have ever sat on, it doesn't matter if it was a beach on an ocean or just a lake. There is just something about feeling the sand under  your feet, about the air that makes me feel totally relaxed and at ease. It was quiet and the stillness just calms my mind and any thought that runs amok in my brain . It was so nice, time seems to stand still. I sat there for quite some time, just listening and breathing. Running my hands through the sand I came upon a few stones and I picked one up and thought,hmmmm I should take it home with me just to remind me that I actually have been here.  Then it came to me, the thought of the stone in my hand lead to the thought of the tray of stones on my dad's desk in his office. He had tons of them and he picked up a stone or pebble from every place he ever been to and took it home. I know he had one from a beach on Lake Erie too, from his first trip to Canada. As I looked at my stone, I thought weird I picked on to take with me that was jagged and rough and remembered all the stones my dad had, how perfect and smooth and rounded they were, a statement of their existence around water and being washed over and over again.  After refilling on the air and breeze, the sand between my toes and one more last deep breath of beach and  big smile on my face I made my way back to more familiar territories.  It definitely was worth the trip and the feelings I took away from it were priceless. Just an all in all nice, carefree day.