This past week was a lovely reminder that sometimes you just need to stop for a moment and breathe.
Preferably surrounded by girlfriends.
After a few crazy weeks, I was ready for some relaxation. It is so important to set aside responsibilities on occasion and just be. Juggling a career and a family is tricky stuff. If not careful, you realize you’ve been hard charging everywhere, and not simply being enough. If you don’t take a moment to be, you end up not bringing your best self anywhere.
So late last week I went in search of my best self. I think I found her on Whidbey Island.
It was our annual Book Club get-away. Two nights away with an amazing group of women who have been my friends for almost two decades. Usually we stay at a lovely home with the most beautiful beach views on Whidbey Island. Last year we did it up in Vegas. It was one for the books.
This year, we returned to Whidbey. It was the perfect pace for me this year. I was ready for a few great meals, girl talk, a drink or two, and nothing on the agenda but pure girl time.
It was bliss. We met at a dive bar near the ferry boat and laughed and talked over pub food and pitchers of specialty beer. After hours of conversation we finally boarded the ferry boat and arrived at Whidbey around 10:30pm. Then, it was more laughs and silliness and 80s music. My night capped with a sleepover in the bunk room with two dear friends. We talked like teenagers until 2:30am. Amazing.
After sleeping in, I woke up for a run around my favorite Whidbey loop – the last mile or so on the beach. We had a late leisurely breakfast, followed by sitting in the sun and sharing more stories. Eventually, we got ready for the day and went into the little town of Langley for shopping and lunch. You know you’ve had an amazingly lazy day when lunch ends at 5pm. Of course, lunch extended from appetizers to salads to a few rounds of my very favorite Island White wine from a local Whidbey winery. The sun was shining, the laughs were plentiful.
Our next agenda item was our annual summer wine test – designed to locate the best summer wines. Typically heavy on rose’, everyone brought a bottle for a blind taste test. We arranged a circle of chairs in the sun, enjoyed our taste test and talked and giggled straight through the evening.
Two nights. Two sunny days. Seven girlfriends made it this year. I left refreshed, renewed, and full of giggles. My best self found.
Thank you, yet again, book club.
The Redefining 