Easter Sunday, 2010

How odd to spend Easter Sunday alone at the beach.

Time moves differently here. Slower, more restful.

Thus begins my first full day of my solo vacation at Virginia Beach. Christ is resurrected and He's given me new life as well.

New life as a single. It's my first trip knowing that I will be solo for the rest of my days. As with all things now, my feelings are mixed.

Although I feel somewhat sad, I'm excited and relieved even more so. My selfishness is surfacing.

This morning I awoke at 9 a.m.  That's a far cry from the 5:30 pup/kitty alarm clock that I'm used to. It was bliss.  I stumbled to the coffee maker before even stopping to pee or brush my teeth.

I had left the drapes to my balcony halfway open so that in the morning the Eastern sun would glint off the Atlantic into my living room. There it is. The cold waves glistening, the sand in variegated shades of tan as the sun hits it.

By the time I finish my bathroom duties my coffee is ready. I sit on my balcony watching a near-empty beach. It is, after all, the morning of Easter Sunday. Most of the faithful are in church. Others are sleeping in.

I see a lot of dogs with their owners go by. Virginia Beach has a marvelous boardwalk. Most walkers stay on the concrete. A black lab and his master bravely play in the freezing surf.  Further down the shore another black lab dances on the wet sand as he fetches a ball for his mistress. She's also walking a Boston terrier who chooses to stay close to her heels.  Not the lab. He's bounding for the ball, then racing back to drop it at her feet again. The lady has quite a good arm. The dog is relentless in playing his game.

As I write this it is still but 11:30 a.m. I've showered and slathered on my sunscreen. It's time to take part rather than merely observe.

My day lies before me unhurried, unscripted, all my own. This is my very own First Day.

(In the top picture of the hotel, my room is on the left-hand corner, third floor up.  In the above picture my private balcony is just above the one on the far left with the patio chair.)