Every night, in the last hour or so before I go to bed, I look forward to breakfast. Whole grain La Brea toast, Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter, Mighty Leaf Organic Breakfast tea, and Strauss Family 2% milk in a glass bottle. This anticipation is part of my weight maintenance strategy. Why eat late night to dull an edge of hunger that will be so happily satisfied come morning?
Yesterday Significant Husband and I decided to spend our honeymoon in Hawaii after all. I had settled on the Enchantment Resort in Arizona. I made reservations and everything. Then I had a terrible dream and canceled. Californians believe in ghosts. So we’ll honeymoon at the St. Regis on Kauai, in November.
Anticipated holidays are breakfast without the toast.
I believe in living in the moment, I do. I believe in paying attention, and watching the sun cross the living room rug, red, aqua, navy. But it seems that building in things to look forward to, the small and the large, is also good for the spirit.
We risk disappointment, this way. What if the future joy is sour when it gets here? We also risk large segments of time spent in discontent, waiting for whatever is supposed to make everything OK. Fix what’s broken now, don’t wait for an imaginary rescue.
But what the heck, people. Sometimes we’re mindful, sometimes we float, our thoughts so much elsewhere that we miss the airport exit, leave our keys in the house, forget our credit cards at restaurants. Either way we can find that state of being that Materfamilias described so well as ferociously comfortable.
Just now I read this article, via Cup of Jo. Turns out sleep is a time when our brains clean up. Sleep dreams may be the fragments of what we failed to integrate during the day, cerebro-spinal fluid firing up neurons along the way to a cleansing in our hard-working livers.
So maybe daydreams, in turn, help us integrate cognition a priori. Maybe daydreams are waking sleep, taking us away from the moment but returning us more able to focus. The imagination as the liver of our thinking selves. It’s possible.
In this moment I’m wearing black and white checked pajamas pants and a hoodie. The clock ticks loudly. In this moment, I’ll make another cup of tea because I so love my breakfast. The creamtop milk is an entire experience, shaking, pouring, watching milk fat dissipate in spirals. But in my mind’s eye I see the ocean and wind in palm trees.
We are lucky to have choice in exactly how and where we are present.
Have a wonderful weekend.
31 Responses
delicious!
The St. Regis in Kauai is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. How fitting for you and your husband!
Your breakfast routine sounds delightful.
A big breakfast hug to you and as much daydreaming as you might enjoy this Saturday. It’s always about balance, isn’t it, and you seem well attuned and attentive to the present, generally. So looking forward to a Hawaii honeymoon sounds more than reasonable to me. And I doubt that the tea or toast will disappoint . . .;-). Thanks for tipping your hat my way. . . Made me smile, over my late, post-run breakfast, to get a shout-out from my San Francisco friend.
There are never any guarantees with vacations. I love to travel. Planning and anticipation are part of the fun for me. Kauai is a beautiful place. I hope you’ll have a wonderful honeymoon there.
Some Californians believe in ghosts.
@Wendy Bird, You are so right! My apologies. I tend to use the word “Californian” as a way to distinguish my brand of WASP from the East Coast variety, forgetting of course that California is a huge and diverse state. Thank you for the kind wishes.
I enjoyed reading this post Lisa, dreams are so fascinating to me. You also made me hungry again, so I’m going to make tea.
xo
I just read a long article somewhere about daydreams being exactly that — periods of integration for creative people. Downtime is not downtime.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mental-downtime
Well, perfect.
How funny; Neil and I were planning on Enchantment Resort in November as well, but, like you, decided against it.
You will love the views from the St. Regis–the marketing shots don’t lie. I can’t speak to the hotel itself anymore, as we haven’t been in 15 years. But I do recall an absolutely eye- and waistband-popping seafood buffet (don’t worry, you can work it off–and indulge your new hobby–by hiking in Waimea Canyon.
If you can tear yourselves away from beach-related (non)activities, I highly recommend the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (ntbg.org) on Kauai: Limahuli, which is near Hanalei, and Allerton.
I can only imagine, that if you and your husband had been at Enchantment at the same time as me and mine, we might the both of us have been too careful to say anything for fear of interrupting the other’s privacy and vacation! Thanks for the garden suggestion, I’d like to see it.
I am sipping tea at this very moment…it is Harrod’s Stonger tea, loose which I must carefully pour through the strainer…which BTW is tarnished!
Is it just me or are you just the most content woman at this very moment?
I feel joy, peace and wisdom in this post.
I believe that life is enriched by everyday simple things…if we do not applaud the small things how can we embrace the big ones?
Enjoy your weekend.
XO
Pretty darn content:).
Hawaii is always a great choice! Have a wonderful honeymoon – enjoy every minute.
I enjoyed this post very much on a relaxing and reflective Saturday.
Just this year I have come to understand what mindfulness is, and the health benefits it can provide. Anxiety comes from worry about things in the future. Mindfulness brings the focus back to being present in the here and now. You have mastered mindfulness.
Drs. Seigal and Samadi on Fox Sunday House Call discussed this brain cleansing research from University of Rochester just last week. It is very interesting to learn about our brain cells’ ability to shrink at night during sleep to allow the toxin flushing. I wish I could give a $$ tip to my personal brain maids so they would do a spring cleaning now and then!
Kauai will be lovely. I wish you a beautiful honeymoon, with many glorious sunrises and sunsets.
Hahahahaha, and then the personal brain housekeepers could leave chocolates on our pillows:).
I take great pleasure in the simple things – like a decent cup of coffee or a walk in the park – but do think it’s good to have stuff to look forward to, too. I love Materfamilias’ ‘ferociously comfortable’ phrase. I’m aiming for that myself, just need to resolve a hideous work-related scenario this week and I’ll be on my way.
Having slept well, I am feeling fresh, sipping my warm cup of fresh brewed coffee, one cup and then off for my morning constitution, walking, running the track and observing the sunrise of a new day.
As always, I appreciate all you share. Sleep is akin to taking out the trash, clearing the counters and starting anew.
pve
This milk looks unfamiliar. Must taste terrific, with all the fresh fat. :-)
Will I ever need less sleep? When I was young, people said you need less sleep when you get older. Now I came half way and still no way I could ever make it with 6-7 hours. For me sleeping sometimes feels like a waste of time. Says the woman who sleeps a lot. I assume it is different, when you experience the opposite: not being able to sleep as much as you wish.
Have a lovely sunday. Hoodies are approriate at any age. Only my mum does not see it our way. hehe
@Paula, Your mom might feel better if you tell her I don’t wear it out of the house:).
Wow, that was some powerful WaPo article. An entirely new way to look upon startling dreams, including that one you had with the ghost in it. Like, well thank you for cracking up my plaques and proteins ghost, please come again why don’t you. Today I awakened remembering last night’s dream of brown tortoise shells, really big ones, each separately hanging from a filament wire [like fishing line], bobbing up and down outside the window I’m looking out right now, a two-story window, a dozen or so turtle shells being raised and lowered, up and down, outside the window. A nice slowwww cleanse.
The honeymoon sounds marvelous, pics, pics, pics!
Lovely stuff! I do love a relaxing weekend morning (and I’m a big fan of toast!). My preferred is Vogels (a wholegrain loaf) with butter and homemade (not made by me) marmalade. And coffee, of course.
I LOVE Sedona, but I’m sure the Hawaii venue will be wonderful. We hike in Sedona every other year in October and always eat a few meals at Enchantment.
Best of dreams to you; I’m a black coffee girl in the AM. Morning rituals are key.
I just found your blog trough a link on FB.
And I’m excited to start following you, because it feels delicious to me and with an extra, my age range.
Well, if you feel like it, check my blog.
I had a break on blogging and I’m trying to do it again.
I’m starting to host a new Link Up Party, every Sunday.
http://searchingtheinnerme.blogspot.com
xoxo
@Seeker, Very nice to meet you. I will take a look.
I can feel the breeze passing through the palms in the photo. Lovely spot to enjoy time together.
Long live daydreamers! I totally get those dreams and feelings and ‘signs’ Lisa. I come from a family of women who live by those ‘signs’.
I have to say I am officially jealous of your morning breakfasts…I am going to work on sparking mine up a bit. I am hoping it will help with those betwitching hours when hormones direct me towards the kitchen!
Thanks so much for you comment on my latest mother and daughter post..love the idea of longitude and latitude.. I am going to save that one!
Enjoy your honeymoon…you picked a great spot!
xx
We had dinner on the terrace at the St Regis a couple of years ago. Beautiful spot as we watched the sun set and the moon rise – there were a number of stand-up kayakers in the bay as well. A lovely spot. Very romantic. I hope you have as wonderful a time there as we did.
Thank you so much.
well, I have the STRANGEST dreams when I do remember them, so I cannot imagine how they relate to my day, or my liver. If it is, my liver is mightily confused. As always, lots of food for thought here.
I always think about my coffee in the morning as I’m getting ready for bed! Maybe I’ll extend the daydream to breakfast. Hawaii looks so lovely. Enjoy.
The St Regis is beautiful choice, I was just there! My first trip to Kauai, with my mother. You will love it, it will be perfect for a honeymoon. I think whale-watching will be possible by November, supposed to be great.
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