key west
key west
Key West…
Last spring break I visited with my girls Tara, Mackensi, and Mia. We rented bikes our first day and every morning after it was routine, backpacks, water, towels, Starbucks, sunscreen and our final destination the beach. It was serene, simple, and just plain relaxing, so when I found out I was returning for this spring break I was even more excited because of the opportunity to show my sisters around.
I had an accident a day prior to leaving. I got a black eye from being stupid, it happens. This meant I had to go through security and the whole day of travelling with sunglasses. I didn’t really care that much, I found it funny because, when incidents like this happen to other people I laugh and subconsciously think it won’t happen to myself- until it does.
So most of my trip I had a black eye but it didn’t matter I was spending my hours in impeccably perfect weather for an entire week. What made it even better was the fact that I was spending it with my sisters whom I have been away from for three months. I missed them and I missed the time spent together when I was home.
We arrived around eight at night, right after the sun had started to set… the view was mesmerizing. I pulled off the sunglasses that had been sitting snug on the bridge of my nose for hours and stood half paralyzed by the picture-perfect moment… which I indeed did take a picture of. A view that basically captured the best of Key West, the ocean, an island a mile or so off in the distance, and sailboats. The sky was lined like a Pantone color pallet, warm and rich.
The first morning I woke up with a head full of ideas. I knew where I wanted to take my family to breakfast, the shops we could stop by, and the beach I wanted to bike to, like I had done the last time. The memory of last spring break was fresh in my mind; I secretly was or should I say subconsciously, craving for my spring break to be the same as the last. But it wasn’t, I was with different people, we were doing different things, it was a different year, and no matter how hard I tried for it to be the same, it wasn’t going to be. I was holding onto the memory of my past experiences that I wasn’t allowing for the present ones to happen. I was blocking the flow. Once I realized that I was doing this, I took a moment to release what had been and welcomed what is. It was only until then I could fully appreciate what each day had to offer and honestly be fully engaged.
After my brief realization, the trip was exactly what it needed to be, crisp morning breezes over sunburnt skin. Not the best omelets at the café outside our hotel, but the conversations always made up for them. Afternoons filled with golf cart rides and my sister educating us on the new era of art. It was just us, each of us so comfortable with our goofiness and sometimes unapologetic sassiness with one another, waking up every morning with messy hair, pink cheeks, and last night’s pjs. It was nice. It was key west and it was exactly what it needed to be.
XOXO,
Lauren.
