It is the last day of our vacation. I am lazy and still in bed late into the morning. Listening to the calming sounds of birds chirping outside my window I am recollecting all that we did over the past two weeks.
To begin with, we enjoyed this compact single-storied and well-lit house furnished with modern furniture in a beautiful residential location close to the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. There were plenty of pathways leading to the waterside for enjoying our walks. On each street, there were beautiful houses with lush green gardens in front of them. Most trees and shrubs are tropical and unique to this region. I saw a variety of palm trees from tall to dwarf, straight to crooked with various shapes of leaves. Banana trees, bougainvilleas, and succulent shrubs were common in many of their gardens.
I spotted a few mango trees and a few Star fruit (karamanga)
loaded with ripe fruits. The child in me almost wanted to do a slingshot to have one. Many flowers I saw were similar to what we find in Indian courtyards that are offered to God for daily prayers. Most houses had manicured tree fences. I saw a few banyan trees that must have been close to a hundred years old.
Palm Beach, Florida with big mansions was visible on the other side of the water. The picturesque view was breathtaking. The only thing I didn’t care about in particular was the green grass. They didn’t look or feel soft to me at all. They are mostly rugged and filled with crabgrass. But in the grand scheme, they added their beauty with a splash of green hue.
We went to Palm Beach to take a stroll on the white sand beach. We explored Worth Ave on Palm Beach with all the high-end designer stores that almost felt like we were in Italy. We went to The Square, which was also an attractive corner in West Palm Beach with a mixed range of stores, many restaurants, and a beautifully maintained courtyard with flowers, trees, and fountains. In the past two weeks, we tried a few restaurants including Italian, Peruvian, Japanese, and American. Each one had something unique to offer.
To compensate for our eating out rich food we walked an average of 7 to 9 miles each day. It is worth mentioning, given so many meals we had outside, only twice we treated ourselves with cocktails. Though we never consumed alcohol frequently, during vacations we never restricted ourselves to enjoy. Waste not, want not. On the last day today, I tried to consume as much of our leftover groceries to wind up our sojourn.
Now that I recollected almost all the details of what we saw and did during these two weeks, it is time for me to reflect on what we gained. On the first day of our trip, I had written a blog, where I had mentioned that we wanted an escape plan from the bone-chilling winter of Boston. So our goal was very simple and expectations were very low, but to me, each day everything that happens only adds a plethora of knowledge to our existing experiences. So let me just jot down in words our gains and gains only.
We got sunny weather to uplift our mood which in turn made us productive at work.
In between free times, we walked for fresh air and to enjoy the nature that boosted our energy further.
Lived in a small house and didn’t miss our lavish big space back home.
We were used to quiet streets but here next to the airport and to the busy street there was enough noise. To my surprise, if we are in a positive mindset how quickly all this noise fades in the background contributing to only white noises.
We mostly ate two meals a day. No dieting. That means at home we were overeating and snacking out of stress. Practically detoxed our body from within.
Life can be smooth and sufficient with bare minimum utensils, a tiny kitchen, access to the minimum grocery, and a laundry facility. Unlike a hotel, Airbnb does not come with house cleaning services, so try not to make a mess and maintain cleanliness all through.
For two weeks we didn’t rent a car and neither did we miss our luxury cars. Which means we got plenty of exercise. Yes, thrice we did uber to go to farther locations.
I didn’t feel the urge of impulsive shopping. This clearly tells me impulsive splurging is directly related to my vacationing attitude which often ends with buyer’s remorse. This time it was not the case. Also at this point in life, we do not need more material things to add to our closet. It’s time to gather more experiences to enrich and broaden our outlook.
Best of all, I could finish reading a book, ‘They lived with God’ by Swami Chetananada. I also carved out time for meditation almost twice a day every day and wrote a few reflecting blogs that I had in mind including this one.
To sum it up, we had a great time here in West Palm Beach. It doesn’t have to be a pre-planned itinerary for a vacation all the time but it is necessary to have a change in scenery and weather once in a while to uplift our mood and recharge our energy.
-Manorama Choudhury
Jan 21st, 2022
Worth experiencing. Learnt many things from the blog from information perspective but the best thing I learned is to be contented. Thanks Manorama for sharing!