Getting away from it all

My sweetie and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by going to the Oregon Coast for a few days. We went to the same area we had gone to on our honeymoon. It was an impromptu trip that we really couldn’t afford either in money or time. Sometimes I think those are the best trips to make. No planning, no stress, just throw some things in a bag and go.
We had a great time just hanging together. It gave us perspective on how much we have grown as individuals and as a couple in 5 years. One of the things that I think makes relationships interesting is the fact that as human beings we are constantly growing, changing, adapting. This constant change creates change in those around us as they adapt to the “new us”. Then someone else grows and we have to catch up.
For us the weather was wonderful- stormy waves, high wind and driving rain! The desk clerk that checked us into our hotel apologized for the weather and told us about the casino and outlet stores. We both laughing replied, “We didn’t come all this way to go shopping! We came to be with the ocean.”
We both love the ocean in all its seasons and glory. We feel invigorated, healed and charged by walking the beach. We went walking the beach three different times. We were all alone each time! It was Valentines’s weekend and the fancy ocean front hotels were packed! We saw the full parking lots.
We also saw the brightly lit rooms with all the televisions on when we walked at night. On Saturday the shops were packed! Not just specialty shops but Wal-mart and others. We took a drive down the coast further. Hotels packed, stores packed, restaurants packed- beach empty. I only saw one person on a hotel balcony during our three walks.
We treated ourselves to a great seafood dinner at a rustic type restaurant with wonderful ocean ambience. More than half the people there were spending their meal time on their cell phones.
I compared their choices to ours. No cell phones, no TV, the only shopping we did was for food and a couple of junk shops. We did not think it important to pay 2x as much money for an ocean view since we spent a good part of our time on the beach. We drove home tired but charged and ready for another year.
We both wondered about those who had spent mucho bucks to watch TV, text and shop. Couldn’t they have done that at home? I wonder if they enjoyed “getting away from it all” as much as we did. Somehow, I doubt it!
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?