I was thinking about what an ideal weekend is for me earlier today, but none came out readily. I forced my mind to imagine a weekend at the beach to which it responded quite well with excitement, but then it faded very soon after realizing the trip would require a day extra to be really enjoyed and with the farmboy being so busy with his stuff, it wouldn't be ideal for him, not at this stage.
The mind then shifted to a random drive elsewhere, with some stopovers for snacks, sight-seeing, taking photos and the need to release nature's call, but then I dismissed the idea for another time.
And what of a night out with the girlfriends? "That's really tempting, but no, maybe next time..." the mind answered its own question.
What about a little extravagance, even quite far-fetched? Say, cruising at the Bahamas? The mind and body had a blank reaction. I reckoned they prefer something else.
I then asked the husband of his ideal weekend. Glancing at me for a little while, he said, "hike, then rest, rest, rest. Or do you want a getaway somewhere?"
"Aha!" the mind exclaimed then went on creating something that had me at the edge of my seat, smiling and agreeing. Wanna know what the mind came up with? Please read on... :)
On one Saturday morning at 7, I woke up to the smell of an aromatic coffee brewing by their kitchen and a few minutes later, the husband came to the bedroom to fetch me for a hearty breakfast. Nothing fancy, but one of our favorites.
After the meal, we enjoyed a cup of coffee while chatting about life, goals, memories and stuff, giggling and laughing at most. An hour later, we were on our hiking gears, each one having a bottle of water and we headed out for a short walk up in the woods. The sun was just coming out and it's rays were warming to our skin.
We decided to take the shorter route to the mountain thinking we'd make our way to one of the waterfalls there in less than an hour. We didn't know how long it takes to get there because we have not been to the place yet. While on our hike, we stopped now and then and marveled at the breathtaking view of the valley down below and the mountains from afar too.
Going farther, we were fascinated to encounter some wild plants, some we have not seen before so we spent a little more time taking photographs and wondering what their names were but because we didn't know yet, we gave them random ones.
And after over an hour of slow walk that included stopping, marveling, listening to the chirping of birds up the trees, getting swept off by a dangling wild vine, sliding on the slippery path, and many other amusing mishaps, we heard water splashing somewhere close and we were so excited to get to it.
Taking a narrow path between two huge trees, we finally found the waterfall and oh my! We fell silent as we got mesmerized by its beauty and magnificence. The water was so clean and clear that we could see the tiny black and gray stones under it. We sat there for 60 minutes or so, taking in as much freshness as we could, enjoying nature's calming bliss.
We took our shoes off then submerged our feet in the water. "Aahh, it is cold yet very refreshing."
We played with the water and piled up some rocks too. We were like two happy kids, splashing a bit of water on each other. Of course we respect nature and we didn't want to disturb the peaceful aura of the place so we talked and giggled in whispers.
At 11 am, we bade goodbye to the falls with the thought that we'd be back again then headed back home. We were sweaty and tired but feeling joyful and blessed.
Arriving home, we prepared the tub and soaked ourselves for 40 minutes or more. After the warm bath, I ordered food delivery from our favorite resto downtown and 20 minutes later, a warm, fragrant meal plates arrived at our doorstep.
We enjoyed lunch and had another cup of coffee afterwards on the porch as we watched the sky's brilliance in the afternoon. An hour or so later, two of our favorite masseuses arrived and we had our full-body massage until we fell asleep. We woke up hungry at around 10 pm so we decided to make noodles in soup. We ate then slept again and would not wake up until 9 the next morning.
I felt really good writing and re-reading this. Although going away to some place else sounds ideal, I realized once again that simple things done and spent with the ones who matter most give me great pleasures too and it makes me truly happy :)
And yes, I admit I have been missing a whole body massage and a little more hiking time with the farmboy. With the busyness of life, we have fallen back from what we love doing the previous year and I guess he misses it too.
This has a dash of fiction by the way, because we have not been to the waterfall up in the woods. Also, the masseuse we used to go to had gone back to her province so we need to find another good one. And oh yes, we don't have a bath tub, yet!
@galenkp.
