Traverse City

We spent a much needed vacation week in Traverse Cit y.We stay in a beautiful resort  on the East Bay every year that has rock bottom winter pricing . We go with another couple and we just hang out and have a lot of fun, rest and relaxation . The guys like to watch movies and we girls go down to the lobby and sit around the fireplace and knit and talk . Bliss!  We usually go in January or February, but this year waited until the last week of March . It paid off to wait! There was no ice or snow ;  the colors of the bay were breathtaking when the sun came out and the light played on the waters . We collected shells on the beach( yes, there are shells at Lake Michigan!) The weather was mild enough to open the door to the balcony and listen to the waves washing up on the shore.

Of course, there was shopping on Front Street. We had to get our annual Cherry Republic fix as well as the fudge. One of my favorite yarn shops is in Traverse City. Lost Art Needlecraft and Yarn is small, but well worth exploring each time we are in TC. This year I added 10 skeins of merino superwash to my stash in a nice warm beige/tan, enough to make a sweater. It was on clearance for 50% off. I found some very cool yarn for baby hats too.

It feels so good to take a break from the routine. To let everything be "paused" as it were for a week. It's all there when I come home to pick up where I left off.  I need to find "pause" time in my week. I have a wise aunt who calls her pauses mini vacations. Every Thursday she does only the necessary-meals and dishes-and spends the rest of the day relaxing. Catching up on reading, napping, whatever she wants to do to feel refreshed. I can learn from that. What wait an entire year to "pause?"    Something to ponder...I think all of us, especially women, need to learn that pausing to savor a moment ,  a hug from  child, the beauty of the blue sky, will refresh us in the middle of our very busy and hectic days. So, pause.....