Life’s a Beach

Today was one of those days where I had a choice and I picked the right one.

Between attending dozens of my kids’ baseball games and my new part-time job, I haven’t had much down time in weeks.  Today was the first day in a while I planned to catch up on errands, phone calls, emails, and blogging. I was all set to get to it when a friend called to ask if I wanted to go to the beach.

I could have been responsible and stayed home to get my work done and my house organized….or I could swim in the ocean. We hadn’t been to the beach all summer. I packed the cooler and towels and 12-year-old Jacob and I headed to Seabright, New Jersey.

It was a perfect day.

First I dug my feet in the sand.

Then I watched our boys play football and frolic in the water as the sun warmed my back and a gentle, warm breeze ruffled my magazine.

After several contented hours, we watched the sun sink slowly and decided we needed a seafood spread. We love Moby’s Deck in the Atlantic Highlands, where you eat at picnic tables overlooking the water and the fish is fresh and the beer is cold.  This is what I ate:

After dinner, we completed the idyllic day with homemade ice cream from Napoli Boys  in Belford. I highly recommend the black raspberry. I had a cone and Jacob had a flurry.

Sure, I stayed up late posting this blog and my to-do list is teeming, but I have no regrets. Swimming in the ocean peels years off and makes me feel like a squealing kid again. The sun and sea air nourished my soul. Conversation with good friends and seeing Jacob happy with his pals brought me joy.

The kids have a new expression (or maybe it’s old but new to me): YOLO, meaning “you only live once.”  Today was a YOLO kind of day.

What’s stopping you from taking a YOLO day? Take one before summer evaporates into fall.  What would you do? Who would you take? Tell me in the comments and then make it happen!