You guys know what I'm really bad at? Being still. And you know who else is pretty bad at it? My family (no offense, guys). We're whirlwinders; plan makers; movers and shakers. Why walk when you can runners.
But this weekend, something happened at Bald Head Island.
We were still.
Not in the physical sense, though. We didn't even lay on the beach. We played volleyball and chased the kids and dug holes. We raced in the sand and galloped because Finn knows how to do that now. We chased birds and watched Skippy dig until he hit water and found crabs.
But our hearts were still. Our minds were still.
Bald Head has this peace about it. You take the ferry from Deep Point, NC, over to the island and then you lose service. The texts stop coming in and the phones stop ringing because there are no towers. Life is slower but not in the frustrating sense. In the I seriously needed this sense.
The minute we boarded the ferry I took what felt like the deepest breath I've taken in months. It hit me: we're going on vacation and it's starting right now. It washed over me and I promise you my shoulders dropped an inch.
God knew what he was doing while we were there, too. Because the internet in our house went out on Thursday night after a storm. And so did the cable. So we were just there. Just Bibers without cell service and without TV and without a computer. We were just people together. Just family together.
And you know what else? We had the slowest golf cart on the island. Seriously. So, really, we were just people together, in slow golf carts. We got passed all the time and we cracked up, joking about how if we got a house there, we'd remove our governors ASAP; upgrade these carts. But you know what? I think it was good for us. Because not only do we stink at being still, we also like to do everything fast.
But this weekend we were forced to unplug, slow down and just be still.
Hard questions for the weekend included: Should we go to the beach or pool? What should we have for dinner? Who is going running now (or walking form me this month)? Do you want to walk on the beach? What kind of iced coffee do you want? Are you riding in the blue or green golf cart? Does your bike have enough air in the tires?
I didn't wear makeup, or shoes, for that matter. I didn't even take a curling iron or blow dryer. I went from workout gear to my swimsuit to pajamas most days.
And gosh, it felt so good. I came back Monday feeling like I'd just finished a yoga class. Relaxed. Recharged. Happy. I couldn't think of a better way to end the summer and my 26th year.
My only raise the bars for next time on Old Baldy are:
1. Ash+fam and Ryan to come (we missed you!)
2. I take my rollerblades. Because that island was made to blade, I tell ya.
I hope your Labor Day was as unlaborious as ours!
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