Back to Reality

We've been back from Belize for a full week now, but my head is still somewhere in the clouds. It was an amazing week at Cocoplum, enjoying the sunshine and salty air with friends. We had perfect weather six days out of seven, which was better than I expected after having obsessively checked the forecast for days before we flew. Despite gallons of sunscreen, I got effectively burned to a crisp and am now peeling like a stinky ol' onion.

Book update: So my Near Death Experience book that I was so excited about turned out to be supreme bore. I was hoping for something a lot less biased and more straightforward in terms of presenting research and sharing stories. Instead, it was a presentation of a belief (that there is indeed life after death!) and a rehashing of the "evidence" retold to perfectly support the author's own convictions. How surprising! And disappointing.

My other vacation book, "Truth and Beauty" by Ann Patchett, did not disappoint in the least. It was a beautifully written tale about the author's friendship with poet and memoirist Lucy Grealy. I couldn't put this book down, and immediately bought Grealy's books once I returned home.

So, back to reality. Rob is fixing the shower in our main bathroom, and I've decided to take this opportunity to do a little poverty-remodel on the bathroom. Good'bye orange and blue and hello turquoise and green. I bought new rugs, towels and a little corner table to house extra linens. Next weekend I'll be painting up a storm.

I feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful vacation. Now I just have to hold a little piece of Cocoplum in my heart, a little island bubble with the sound of gentle waves lapping the sandy shore and frigates floating overhead.