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Last January, my friend Rebecca's dad passed away. I told her I'd be wherever she needed me to be - Minnesota, where he lived, or Brooklyn, she she lives - but they weren't having a memorial ceremony until spring.
Instead, she asked, would I be willing to come on vacation with her for a long weekend? She had her annual solo trip planned, but she didn't want to be alone.
Of course I said yes - because I love her & I love a sunshiny vacation, especially during mid-winter in Cleveland. It was such a nice, relaxing, rejuvenating time, & it didn't hurt that we stayed in a very fancy hotel.
So this January, we decided we should do it all over again.
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We went back to the same area, Bal Harbour, FL, but this time we stayed in a different hotel, a Ritz Carlton. It was the off-season, so upon her arrival, Rebecca was upgraded... to an amazing, luxurious suite that was bigger than her New York apartment & very nearly bigger than my Cleveland one.
We were there from Tuesday through Friday, just a few days, but they were a few of the most relaxing days in recent memory.
Life had been feeling pretty stressful - I'd recently completed my big work conference, made some big life changes, & learned that the coworker with whom I worked most closely was leaving upon my return - but somehow, I didn't even realize how stressed I'd been.
Until I wasn't.
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We spent all day doing... well, nothing, really.
We sat on the beach & read books & caught up & ordered fresh-squeezed juices poolside.
We ate breakfast at the patio restaurant every morning, & at night, we rotated between hotel restaurants. More than once, we ordered dessert.
We slept in just a little each morning. We fell asleep watching Netflix fairly early each night. And in between, we mostly wore bathing suits & workout clothes & didn't do a damn thing.
And it was glorious.
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I had no idea, at the time what I was coming home to - sooo much more stress - which makes me even more appreciative for those brief few days of respite. And during these dark, gloomy days of February, I'm holding onto just a little bit of that Florida sun to see me through.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to take this trip with Rebecca not once but twice now. Will be able to do this every year? Heck, I don't know. But for two years in a row, at least, I've been lucky enough to go all-in on tuning allll the way out - focusing on nothing but friendship & feeling refreshed.
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