Santa Monica

I’ve had a personal goal or dream to travel or go to a live event at least once per month. Without realizing it, I started to make that happen in 2019 in a small, lowkey way. I’d go take a paint class with friends, go out of town for a weekend, see a show on the Las Vegas strip, or something. It was simple, but it was happening in the background of my life.

A few weeks ago I got to meet my mom in Santa Monica for a few days. I wish it was just a simple beach getaway, but we were there because my stepfather was in the hospital a couple of miles away.

Due to COVID, we weren’t allowed to see him the entire time he was there, even though he was there for something completely different. After months of dealing with an injury that got infected, he had to be admitted to have several surgeries. He was in the hospital for nearly two weeks, completely isolated and a few hours away from home.

My mother stayed in a hotel nearby for the first week or so just to feel close, and with the hopes that he’d be able to go home sooner. I flew down to stay with her for a few days and keep her company.

We definitely made the best of it and I was able to keep her a little distracted. The first thing I did when I arrived was climb over the balcony and sit on the edge with my feet dangling over Ocean Avenue. If you’re a mom, you might have gasped. And just think, I was the “safe” kid.

Our room had an amazing view of the ocean and the Santa Monica pier. At night, you could hear the people moving around and see the lights on the ferris wheel at the pier, with the distant sounds of the ocean and the moonlight glimmering across the water. It was majestic.

We started our days with fresh squeezed juices or all natural smoothies blended a cool spot a few steps from the hotel door. We walked around, enjoyed nice lunches and dinners, and ventured over to the shopping areas.

We even spent Super Bowl Sunday at a restaurant on the third floor of the mall a couple of blocks from the hotel. It was eerily quiet and slow, especially considering a year ago that venue probably would have been bustling and packed with groups of people taking advantage of all the eateries and bars to enjoy the game in.

Our world has changed a lot due to this virus, and I can only hope that we are able to be truly social again soon. I believe we need to be around each other and be able to hug each other. We are social creatures, even the antisocial versions of us that exist.

A sense of community actually helps all of us thrive, even if we don’t realize it. I really feel for the young children who aren’t getting a “normal” chance to socialize and develop the skills they will need to function in society when they are older.

In the meantime, I am choosing to enjoy every single experience I get to have, especially those shared with the people I care about. My mother and I enjoyed good food, stayed up late talking and working, walked, and enjoyed as much of the fresh ocean air as we could breathe in.

I am immensely grateful that I am in the position to be able to jump on a flight with only a couple of days notice to be there to support my mother and her husband in their time of need. I treasure the time I get to spend around the people I love. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, or perhaps it’s maturity (ha! Imagine that!?), but I value different aspects of my life far differently than I used to.

May you all be safe and find joy in your daily experiences.