Spring Break!!!
We're in the midst of the pinnacle of every teacher's teaching career: Spring Break. This is, after all, why we do what we do -- it's not for the kids. It's for that early-April grading hiatus where the lucky head south and the less-so stay settled for some rest. It's ten days of pure, uninterrupted bliss, R & R, mindless piddling and planning nothing. I'm kidding, of course, but the days leading up to April 1st do make Spring Break seem like a bit of an oasis after years at sea.
Joe and I were sort of a spicy mixer between the lucky and the less-so, heading South for just four (wonderful) days before coming back and getting rest but also getting things done: fixing broken bike tires, new phones, hair appointments, and all the other easy-to-put-off tasks that become backburned amidst the bustle of school.
Florida, in a word, was a rollercoaster. Perhaps a more honest reflection is that I was a rollercoaster, but as I reminisce on our four days on the forgotten coast, a fondness settles in that I will cling to forever.
Our budget-friendly adventure-seeking selves opted for an AirBNB in Carrabelle, Florida, a small rural town in the panhandle free of all things touristy and tacky. They call it Florida's Forgotten Coast for a reason: among the things forgotten are cell towers, sidewalks, stores, and civilization. Despite all this, I don't want to spend a single second painting the place in a bad light. While I was immediately devastated by the nature-ridden shack in the woods with rumors of a broken septic system and no beach in sight, there was redemption:
Redemption in the form of a quaint little restaurant, the only one in town, called "The Fisherman's Wife" - a red and white beach hut with menu options of bringing in your own fresh catch and having them fry it up for twelve bucks a pound. I ate the most fresh and delicious shrimp and grouper which was paid for by an elderly local, a tall and weather-worn fisherman who smiled at us and said, "I love young love."
Redemption in the form of our saintlike AirBNB host, Laura, who greeted us with southern hospitality and made us feel at home despite losing her husband only months before. She gave us thirty dollars for lunch on our way out of town because of the septic shutdown speculation, even though it proved to be untrue and the water worked just fine.
Redemption in the form of a beach just fifteen minutes away, a scenic and seemingly silent sand dune occupied by far more starfish than people. A few locals walked along the shore but for the most part, we had the place to ourselves. We went on walks, sipped on Cola, and found a sandbar island about fifty yards into the sea. Unhurried, uninterrupted, for the first time in what felt like months.
Redemption, even on the rainiest of days, in the form of a cabinet stocked full with Yahtzee, puzzles, books, and cards. We played four rounds of Yahtzee and I laughed so much that I forgot it was raining, forgot that this rain meant we'd only have two days on the beach, forgot, even temporarily, that there was trouble in the world. We settled in that evening with a puzzle as Shrek played in the background, ate toaster-oven hot dogs and fell asleep by nine.
Redemption in the form of a First Baptist Church, a Sunday morning gospel choir, the smell of oysters on the half shell, bright and consuming sunshine, natural beach views previously unimaginable, and a restful, relaxing pace much unlike anything I had been living. It was a glorious time with my husband, now of ten blissful months, who makes me smile and asks good questions and has sound theology and is so unbelievably attractive I sometimes can't look away.
It wasn't perfect, and we probably won't ever go back - the noises surrounding our shack mixed with memories of "Look out for bears" signage will likely have us Panama City-bound in future days. But there were lessons to be learned from the simplicity and slowness of Carrabelle, like maybe busier isn't always better, and there's rest to be found from rainy days, and maybe we should stay in young love forever.
I give Carrabelle four stars.