Sun, sand & sacrilege

The Mister is turning 50 on Monday. How it is that I came to be married to a FIFTY YEAR OLD is beyond me, but there you have it… he’s obviously a cradle robber. (Okay, he’s not a cradle robber - I only feel like a teenager.)

To celebrate this milestone, we’re headed down to Florida for a few days of rest and relaxation and eating ALL the seafood. I’m taking Hubby to the same place I go for my annual girls’ trip - Treasure Island. He’s never been to this place I have called home nearly every spring of my adult life.

Floreed-AHHH (as it’s known during the annual girls’ trip) isn’t an adventure (though it’s always an adventure). We stay at the same place every year, do the same things, eat at the same places and shop at the same stores. The location is a bonus with it’s beach and sun, but the trip isn’t about place - it’s about people. Spending time together is the focus, period. We wake, giggle, walk, giggle, sun & swim, giggle, nap, giggle, go out to eat, giggle until we fall asleep - wash, rinse and repeat.

But Hubby’s what’s known as a maximizer. He wants to do ALL the things at ALL the times. Our typical vacation together is a 3,000 mile road trip through five different time zones in ten days. He’s already making requests for Florida that fall far outside the norm - bar nights and family visits and daytime trips to see… stuff. 

It’s sacrilege! 

I have to keep reminding myself that this is his birthday present and if he wants to waste all that Florida sun sitting in an Irish bar with his cousin Dean, well… I’ll add a rider on the rental car so he can drive there without me. Wait… no. What I meant to say is, if that’s what he wants to do, we’ll do it because this trip isn’t just about what I do in Florida, it’s about what we do in Florida.

Sharing your sacred traditions and rituals with an “outsider” - even someone you love as dearly as your partner - can be scary. Ideas are different, agendas are different, perspectives are different. But allowing other trusted points of view into your life is how we create new experiences. It is how we learn and grow. 

I am fully aware that Treasure Island, a place so familiar to me, will be a totally different place for me come this time next week and that’s going to be a good thing. 

What are the rituals and traditions you hold sacred? Is it time to introduce them to a fresh set of eyes and get some input? What could you potentially learn if you allowed a new perspective in? I’d love to hear your thoughts - drop a comment below or email me at hello@theshehive.com.

With much love and gratitude,