A few weeks ago, I made a somewhat snarky post on Instagram. I like to consider it more of a public service announcement but regardless the comment was made. It was referring to the sudden shift from summer bliss to back-to-school fall mayhem. That particular time of year when all social media are suddenly flooded with images of beanies and references to a certain pumpkin flavored drink. It was my duty to remind the interwebs (ahem, myself) that summer is not actually over until late September so pull it together people.
The funny not-so-funny thing is that somehow we are very fast approaching the end of summer despite what this past weekend's sunshine and heat may have otherwise led us to believe. Pretty soon, despite my ongoing pleas and constant denial, the air will have that distinct autumn chill and tri-colored leaves will be crunching underfoot. With this impending doom (I’m not the least bit dramatic), I made one last trek out to Fire Island to soak up the last of what this summer sun has to offer, backpack and obliging friend in tow.
I've written about camping out on Fire Island before, albeit under different circumstances, and I think this may need to become an annual tradition. There's something magical about trading in the hubbub of hurried people and glowing computer screens for a foxy neighbor and the starry night sky.
I need a fair amount of quiet space to recharge from time to time. The sights and sounds of the daily grind build up and overwhelm my senses. The urge to runaway from it all and start over goes from a whisper to a resounding alarm. I like to think this is primarily a result of city living but who knows. Introverts unite?
Much of the past three weeks were spent in pursuit of constant distraction and I am not going to lie - a whole lot of this distraction came in the form of screens. Due to the nature of my job, it is very easy for me to plop my person down in front of a computer for a good (bad) eight hours and call it work. Hell, I am being paid for it. I am being downright productive.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the only one who does this. Despite our ubiquitous kindergarten education, when it comes down to it, we are not all unique snowflakes. OK, so maybe part of that is true but I would be hard-pressed to find that no one could relate to my current sentiments splayed out for you in the ramblings above. That's part of the beauty of this whole human existence, isn't it? To know that you are never truly alone no matter how much you may feel at any given point in time. We all seek to escape at one time or another from the day-to-day and if the news has gotten anything right, it is that we all spend a wee bit too much in front of the ole screens. It's fascinating how little of your life you need to actively engage in when you always have a computer, phone, tablet, etc. in front of your noggin.
The beauty (sarcasm) of all of this nonsense is that I am, and likely you are too, in the midst of this culture of can't stop, won't stop. I am totally justified in my overloaded schedule of job, 2nd job, school, travel, family, etc. I tell myself that it is temporary but the truth is I have a long-standing habit of overbooking, followed by feeling completely overwhelmed by life, followed by retreating into my hermitage aka my brain… welcome. To a certain extent, I am limited by what I can do to remedy this situation. I have commitments that cannot be abandoned no matter how much I may dream about it.
So I do the next best thing. I grab my pack, the bare necessities, and a friend who was kind enough to indulge me in my last minute, plan changing, ferry missing craze. The night was far from perfect. Besides the previously mentioned transportation mishap, we also encountered swarms of mosquitoes attracted to our bug spray-less bodies and a fox who was rather smitten with my friend’s boot. But when it came down to it, it was just what I needed – some space to unplug, the company of a good friend, the sound of the waves crashing nearby, and perhaps even a night cap in hand.
notes:
- i know. how interesting is it that i am writing about my tour de force of life distraction via screens while obviously staring at a screen to write this all down. have some grace, people. it's all about the baby steps, no? well let's call this therapeutic venting and leave it at that.
- if you plan on making your own backpacking adventure out on fire island national seashore, it bears repeating - don’t leave home without the bug spray. we did and have all the regrets that come with all of the bites. seriously. we look sad and diseased and are itchy. oh so very itchy. (more packing ideas can be found here.)
- last but not least, it takes a special kind of person to not only let you nominate them as your backup plan but then actually fulfill that role when previous plans go awry. find these people in your life and be this person for others. without this becoming a complete cheese fest, these people are the types of friends that make all the difference.
