The truth is that LIFE goes on here at the Jersey Shore amidst this weird pandemic time.
A lot here looks the same but a lot feels very different. Bay Head has always seemed like a BUBBLE to me and it still feels like a safe little COCOON in this wild crazy world. I feel very lucky & blessed to live & work within a 1/2 mile radius and ride my bike to work everyday.
This summer I’m keeping things SIMPLE. We have returned to basics at Therapeutic Touch and are only offering MASSAGE.For now, we have taken all the SPA treatments and facials off the menu. It’s a time to keep it simple. Clean & Simple. We’re following ALL the CoVid regulations and guidelines. Check out the video here for more detail and quick tour when I got a massage 😊
My commitment to SIMPLICITY continues to deepen. I recently had to leave “the bubble” for a short trip to the north shore of Long Island. My dear friend Kathy from college lost her husband suddenly. NIKO sat on a log on his beautiful beach overlooking the Long Island Sound. Neighbors and fiends saw him everyday up there with his coffee as they they walked the dogs and enjoyed the beach in the morning. On this day, Niko finished his coffee, put the cup down and took his last breath. A neighbor saw him slumped over. It was a Cardiac arrest- he was gone in an instant. There are no warning signs...you don’t even know its coming. Niko was only 62 years old and had just retired two years ago. He was a brilliant and very dedicated research scientist/engineer with a PhD. He worked very hard for long time. Like many of us, he and Kathy had lots of dreams for the future.
Niko sadly left his family & friends way too soon. Kathy shared a beautiful heart felt eulogy about their last day together and the GIFT he left behind. They had been quarantining at home with their 23 year old daughter Anna and hadn’t left “their bubble” in over four months. On that last day before he died, Kathy’s sister and husband came out for the day from NYC. Niko was very excited to have family and company for the first time in months. As they got ready & prepared GREEK food that morning, he said “KATERINA the sun is shining, we have family coming, the pool is clean, the gardens look beautiful. Lets have a wonderful day!” To which they both locked eyes and agreed...”GAME ON! It’s a BEAUTIFUL DAY!”
Kathy shared with us how the whole day was MAGICAL. From start to finish, the day was filled with sunshine, conversation, laughter, wine, good GREEK food, swimming, napping, and lots of GRATITUDE!
It sounds so cliche but I I returned from Long Island and Nikos funeral INSPIRED & committed to living each day as if it’s my last. What does that mean? It means I’m wanting to REACH for more ZEST. Be more present. Not dwell on the past. Let go of worrying about the future.
The bottom line is that no one knows how much TIME we have. All we have is NOW. Hard as it is...don’t make a habit of geting stuck in the past or worrying about the future. It’s hard to know up from down these days. I don’t know 'bout you but it seems as though this crazy upside down world is turning most of us inside out. Hang in there. Reach out. Stay connected. Be real. Stay present.
NOW is ALL WE HAVE. BE GRATEFUL.