The Here & Zen

So it's true what they say about a beach town mentality. A few choice adjectives come to mind like bum, slacker, and my personal favorite: surf savant. But what if there was a laundry list of good monikers. Praiseworthy list of lists with a bright and shiny badge to be worn as proudly as sunscreen and flip-flops?

The reason there has yet to be a revival of all things beach zen makes me believe in a theory (ok, yes it is MY own theory: If everyone else knew how low -keyed delight plays on the corporate/professional step ladder in our wi-fi saturated, skype plump world my wait for my morning latte here in Santa Cruz would be much longer.

I will never be a true convert/transplant of Beach town hang. My affinity toward stilettos runs deep as does my taste for the big city. But I am smitten with the gentle rhythm of things sand centric. When life gets too complex and overwhelming, the best RX is gonna be toes in the sand and a drink in hand (or just toes and some beach yoga for those of us on the wagon as of late.)

I like to spend my mornings tooling around town on my beach cruiser. The trees are in bloom and morning air fog free. It's like a little piece of the Truman Show but with an influx of Medicinal 420 and spiritual namiste thrown in for good measure. Now if I could just find a place that sold my beloved Sunday New York Times, within my bike routine I really could be living in the Truman Show. Zen has a name. Just keep it safe or we'll be complaining about our morning wait for coffee.

Hippy Dippy

You decide.
The magic of a new place always makes me fall in love in a kinda-now-kinda -wow way. Shiny new faces and places all mixed into a dee-licious way of looking at the world.

That rose colored glasses thing-it's a real phenomenon. Just wish they woulda' worked longer in Toronto, but pink layered atop of mono chromatic gray scale is just a different shade of grey.

Fast forward to hippy dippy Santa Cruz.
Beach cruiser-eye candy central minus the 'tude and tats of Venice beach.

Luscious ocean breeze and the Seabright Brewery is my answer to "yes Virginia there IS a Santa Claus..and he surfs a Softops board" (santa needs serious stability.)
The real gift this past week? While my Subaru was rock-star parked at an unfed meter in front of a local bike repair, I was tapped on the shoulder by a lovely woman who reminded me to feed the meter. Of course I thanked her and walked to the meter quarter in hand. The dropping of the quarter drown out by the meter maid mobile wheeling away with her pony tail blowing in the ocean breeze, recognizing the pony tail as the same one belonging to the shoulder tapper.. My heart felt like the Grinch heart when it expanded to three sizes too big. Thump thump.

True love is hard to find. Even tougher to sustain but I have a good sense of well being at the moment totally attributable to this sandy little beach town. Let's hope the love will last. Or I can find groovy pink glasses to match my surfboard.

Land of Sun and Surf

As someone who prides them self as a lite traveler and can typically put a plan of action into motion with little more than a text message prompt from a friend, I have found the last few weeks particularly stressful trying to juggle biz calls, emails, kids surfing in the ocean and deciding upon what flavor of fruit works in the tequila concoction for the evening sunset cocktail del dia. Yes, it's not the typical boo-hoo but it is worth parsing out the following pearls of wisdom.

Stream lining a trip by tying in another trip/move/relocation may seem like a great idea but when it nets out that you become a sherpa of shit-you- don't-want to- deal - with
(but now defines your choices of where to go.) I'd rethink that game plan had I really had a non-frozen brain cell. Always the ambitious traveller preferring to wing details and see where the wind takes me.. only really works well when one is nimble, nimble of mind, yes but lite is tantamount to happy travels. Crankiness and logistical nightmares will be your unwelcome shadow should you have too much crap to cart.

My biggest Epiphany this recent trip? No connectivity is good. The inability to check email with relative ease takes an entire layer of complexity off the table. Living wi-fi free is as liberating as swimming naked in the ocean- with a full moon and a fire on the beach. Yes, really that good. Why is it so compelling to check when we are supposed to unplug from the world.

A holiday in theory is a giant yank upon that great extension cord called life.. While it's been enjoyable and a fresh perspective for the minions it's a welcome thought to return stateside.