Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Delano bored me to peace.

I wouldn't recommend traveling to South Beach in July unless you enjoy having a sweaty lip and frizzy hair at all times; however a recent trip down for SWIM Fashionweek proved to be the perfect R&R.

I do everything fast: talk, walk, work, shop, fall in love...but something about this weekend put me in slow-mo. Maybe it was the most incredible Italian cuisine at world-renown Casa Tua Restaurant that put me in a food coma. I have never been to a restaurant that tantalized all the senses. Hidden behind Ivy, and decorated like the inside of a beautiful and inviting home, it welcomes you with the smell of fresh flowers and lemon grass. The entrees and service made merely paying the bill feel like an inadequate gesture. You wanted to hug them with glee, and gratefulness. It could also have been the several Martinis..there is no telling, but the next day I rediscovered the beauty in being BORED.

My sister and I stumbled our way down to the Delano pool, found a comfy terrycloth (shaded) outside bed and remained in a state of people-watching and near-silence from 10am to 5pm. Yes, I objectified our cabana boy named "Gerado" (don't worry, he got 50% tips at all times.) I did try to read my books. We did saunter over to eat enough to sustain us enough for more hours of just laying around.

I had forgotten the beauty in doing NOTHING! I didn't worry, or make lists. I didn't plan what we would do next, or speculate on what my family was doing. Time stood still. The only thing that it existed was our presence in the very, very calm and luxurious "now."

Perhaps that is not what Eckhart Tolle is talking about....wasting an entire day poolside with topless Brazilians and perfectly sculpted Spanish cabana boys, but never has his book title spoke to me more.


The place is dripping with pretense and day-glo, but we didn't even hit the beach, we didn't dress up and hit the "scene". We stayed with the serene and I found the "POWER OF NOW". I stripped off my concerns, fears, obsessions, and stress and dove in. You should too. My new "now" consists of me wrangling a three year old watching "Playhouse Disney".

So it goes and I wouldn't change a thing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I serioulsy couldn't agree more. It was a great mini-vaca! I had a really good time doing absolutely nothing with you....well except drooling over Gerardo's smile!