Float

The last time I floated was pre-Covid. I drove an hour to get to the studio. The great thing about the location is its proximity to the beach. 

Covid changed so much, but I've been trying to start doing some of the things I once did. There are a lot of things I haven't done yet, like going to the gym and the yoga studio. There's a lot more, but I don't like to think about it. It feels like a lot of loss, and there's grief there. 

I have some time off for the next ten days. I'll spend some of that time down at Mom's and I'll spend some of it here at home, trying to create some order out of the chaos that's developed over the last months. But, really, I'd like to do something vacation-y. I'm planning a trip away in October, but I need something sooner. For the last year I'd been planning a trip to Iceland in September, but there have been a lot of family challenges that led me to postpone the trip. I'll go next year. God willing and the creek don't rise, as my grandmother used to say.

So I was thinking, the other day, about what might be possible. 

I thought about day trips, an overnight trip to a nearby location, and spa treatments. I settled on a float. 

A few years ago a new float studio opened in town. This was not something I was interested in during the worst of Covid, but now that things have eased a little, I thought I'd look into it. The studio looked great and floating is phenomenal for healing, relaxation, and release, so I decided to book a session. I'm so glad I did. I went today, and after the float I spent some time in the salt lounge. The energy is wonderful. It's something I've wanted to try for a few years, and I'm delighted the float studio has this resource.

Tonight I looked around online for some fun spa treatments. I found a place that has a hot and cold stone face massage and reflexology. That feels like a great follow-up. Fingers crossed they have something open tomorrow.

I love traveling. It fills me up when I feel emptied. There are also things I can do at home to fill me up. Taking some time while stay-cationing reminds me not to wait for time off to fill the cup.   

Creating Space: Three Months of Showing Up for What's Showing Up is a daily writing practice. Turns out that a lot of this writing explores the landscape of grief. My mother died shortly before I began this writing, and this is what I'm thinking about most of the time these days.

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.