A Tale of the Sea

May 31, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on June 2012

My folks love to tell the story of how little I talked when I was a tot. The story goes that my brother, three years my senior, knew my every whim with each grunt and finger point I made and was happy to oblige. Therefore, there was no need for me to utter a single word.

Trust me. I€™ve heard every wise crack out there from my sweet, supportive family.

€œShe€™s still making up for lost time.€

€œShe€™s not yet stopped.€

And, on and on.

I€™m sure it was a glorious life I lived until my brother ventured off to kindergarten, and I was left to fend for myself.

During those early years of my self-imposed silence, my sweet MaMa and PaPa Long took me on an adventure with them in their camper to the beach where they were in the midst of building the fishing cottage of their dreams at Long Beach, N.C. (now inexplicably called Oak Island, given my maiden name.) Grandparents, it seems, don€™t mind that you can€™t communicate so well; they€™re of the we€™ll-figure-it-out-as-we-go-along mindset.

It was at that very beach, in that homey camper on that adventure that I took to babbling about the €œbig water€ incessantly.
And that was when it happened. I was hooked.
At the early age of 2, my love affair with the sea and its beautiful, restorative powers began. R.V. and Elward, seasoned grandparents to seven other grandchildren at the time, hauled me on a five-hour trek to the seaside and set the foundation for a lifetime of beach combing, fishing, sunning, wave riding and just downright chilling as nature had intended.
I spent many a summer on that island of respite as a kid, and today, I still feel the pull of the seaside. Unrest often pushes me toward the water, and I always find peace upon arrival. I leave completely restored, albeit a bit wistful that I must depart.
That sweet cottage still exists and remains for my family and me a quiet retreat from the busyness of work, school and everyday life. We intentionally don€™t have Internet access there; we have only the most basic cable TV service; and sometimes the iPhones work and sometimes they just don€™t. And, that my friends, is OK, because the point of vacation and time away is to restore, rejuvenate and reconnect with one another.
Instead of e-mail, phone calls and homework, we while away the days fishing€”often only to come home with an empty bucket€”swimming, building sand castles, searching for shells and other critters and reading stacks of books. It€™s a state of stillness; something that can be hard to come by in a house with three busy sons and two hard-driving editors.
In today€™s hurry-up, get-there world, we often forget the importance of stopping to breathe in the salty air or the sweet fragrance of roses. For me€”for us€”taking those deep breaths and slowing down has become a must-do, not a luxury.
In this month€™s issue we examine the psychology of vacation, time away and the importance of restoring for business owners and employees. Studies show workers are better employees, more engaged and more creative when they take vacation to rest and relax.
We also managed to corner a slew of retailers who were happy to share their nirvana in rejuvenation. It€™s a great read, and it€™s June€”typical vacation month.
If you€™ve got one planned, good for you. If you don€™t, start planning now. Make it a great summer filled with a balanced work-life approach to the world.
Enjoy!