A Spot of My Own

Everyone needs a spot to call "mine"...a refuge. A place to regroup and reflect. Shelter Island has always lived up to its name...a bucolic haven for anyone who steps ashore. While a third of Shelter Island may be seniors, another third is a wildlife refuge. The other third...summer people. 'Nuf said about them.

To relieve stress and clear my head, I have two different walks. One is along a beach at the end of Bootleggers Alley shown above. The other is along a dirt road called The Serpentine. It meanders along the bluff that connects my parent's home to the beach where I hung out as a teen. The view is breath-taking.

These are my "go-to" spots where I can laugh, cry, talk to myself or most often, just walk and absorb the incredible beauty here. I love the sea and know that I have said that so often, but I do.

One of the difficult things about traveling, aside from living out of a suitcase and never having enough time with all those I love here, especially my kiddos, is not having a "spot" here at SI. My parents' home is still theirs. I cook in my mom's kitchen, sit in my dad's chair, have (tried) to turn his bedroom into a guest room per my mom's instructions and although I am very comfortable there, I am aware that it is not my home. Due to the large amount of stress I handle and diffuse here, I need a spot that I can lean on when my walks are over...just to catch me when I start to sink.

Enter Camp Quinipet...again. It is amazing what can happen in an hour!! Anyway, last week at the Senior Potluck, I saw this scruffy little table tucked, forgotten, into a corner. It sung to me. Yesterday I called the camp director and asked him about it. Interestingly, he was looking for a new "home" for it. It was not quite camp appropriate. Today I loaded up my little waif into the car. I think we are going to be really good for each other! All we both need is a little sea air. Take a look...

Where is your "spot"? Log off now and go claim it! xoxoxo