Era Libre

Yesterday I had the time of my life: I was free.

We had a day on the beach - just us girls.
Actually, it was a bachelorette party. We got our things together, swimsuits on, and drove 45 minutes out to a beach that was supposedly better than the one here. Just us in the car, rocking out to music, playing car games, and gossiping about everything. We got to the beach, and it was definitely better - a huge strip of sand with a volley ball area and people everywhere. But we walked down a ways and chose a secluded area, with a small sandy area covered with weeds. We laid our things out in the sand, marking our spot, and ran into the water. Because who needs a beach and a crowd, when the point is to let go and have fun - be on your own and be free? And that was the best decision we made. Some of the girls complained about the weeds, or the small space, or the fact that we were near the grills or the tables, but once we got in that water, it was just a day of fun. Just a day of frolicking, and talking. We grabbed glasses of Sangria and sipped them while the waves lapped against us, threatening to splash the water into our cups. We chatted, floated and swam, and just relaxed. People think that a bachelorette party has to be big and drunk - male strippers and alcohol, maybe a bar or a club, but we got rid of that notion, and did our own thing, and we were having the most fun of anyone. Not a single girl said they were bored, or that they wanted to drive back. We let the waves toss us around, we flirted with each other, we flirted with the boys, we got ice cream, and we laughed. And nothing could have made that day better.

On the way home we decided to have a bonfire. No one wanted to end our joyful day. I rode with a friend of mine. A friend who happened to have a Sunfire Convertible. And the night was beautiful, so we put the top down and cranked up the music. It was amazing. I had never ridden in a convertible before that and I can't believe what I had been missing. It's so freeing to sit in a car, with the wind whipping through your hair, throwing your hands in the air, singing, and laughing. Not a care in the world. You could look up and see the wide open sky and the moon and the stars, feel the breeze, it was amazing. It was like..the whole day, the whole, fun, freeing, joyous day, summed up in that one car ride. Riding in a convertible, with the top down, music blaring, wind blowing. Nothing but the moon in the sky and the stars up above, good friends close at had. It was beautiful.

As we drove the stars kept multiplying. Constellations became clear as we all started searching. We saw huge clusters and spacey loners - just tiny, beautiful, balls of silver light. Growing and changing every time you looked up as the night got darker. I will remember that ride and that night forever. For all its beauty and all its joy.

We often miss those days - we let the small annoyances in life rob us of our joy. The way the kids kicked sand on us while we tanned. The way the grass covered the whole area and dropped burs on our towels. The long drive. The way the wind tangled our hair. The way we were dateless or fighting. The way the fire wouldn't start. Anything and everything could have gotten in the way - but we looked past it. For everything good that happened, we chose to cherish and enjoy it. We joked and laughed and played like children, we sang and danced and talked.

We were all simply together for the sake of being together under one huge night sky that goes on forever.