The perfect day

At the end of a mind-draining, energy-sapping week, a friend called on Friday night to see if JG and I would like to spend Saturday at Bethany Beach with her and her husband. Her grandfather had a house where we could drop our things, she said, and it was supposed to be gorgeous out.

Oh, my goodness, yes.

In the early morning, JG and I rolled up to our friends’ house, loaded up the car with beach chairs and backpacks, and drove for two hours down to the Delaware beaches. By 10am, we were set up on the sand. As promised, we had a clear sky, a gentle ocean, and a refreshing breeze. It seemed as though the universe was making amends for tough weeks all around by dealing out calm weather and great company. All four of us sank into our chairs with small sighs of contentment.

Somewhere between playing in the ocean (yes, I went in!), collectively finishing a NYT crossword puzzle, falling asleep on beach towels, reapplying sunscreen, eating sandwiches, and reading magazines, the day slipped away from us. Every time I thought to flip open my cell phone to check the clock, so much more time had passed than I had anticipated; it was the polar opposite of a workday. Six hours on the beach flew by and all too soon, we packed up for showers and dinner.

Oh, but dinner did not disappoint. We slid into a giant booth at Bethany Blues, where we ordered drinks and pounced on the cornbread basket like we hadn’t eaten in days. With jazz in the air, we had our fill – and probably more – of barbecue pork and chicken, crab cakes, macaroni and cheese, and calamari. I ate with uncharacteristic speed, as if the food would disappear if I didn’t eat it quickly enough, and after every bite, I exclaimed, “This is so good!” A full stomach was the best accompaniment to a settled mind.

We staved off the inevitable food coma by walking along the boardwalk, making stops at the Candy Kitchen and a shop where I bought a fish-shaped magnet. As I held hands with JG and scuffed my flip flops along the boards, it was clear to me that we could not have ordered up a better time. Although I was sad to see it end, the satisfaction of having a full, perfect day made it okay.

Saturday was meant to be captured on a recording, labeled, and saved to replay. I’ll do my best to let it carry me through this week.