At the End of the Day

Going with the flow

Today I’m setting sail on a ferry very similar to this one, for a 5-night stay on a tiny island just off the coast of West Vancouver. I’m unplugging for a few days — trading in those online activities for some quiet time.

I’ve talked myself out of bringing my laptop with me, even though this bed and breakfast does have Internet connection. I know what would happen if I did bring it. First thing in the morning it would go on and next time I’d look at the clock it would be the end of the day. Well, that’s exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like a creative thing to say, given the title of this post.

So that means, no blogging and no Twitter — yikes! Good thing the full moon has passed, cause if you were to hear any howling it probably would have been me going stir crazy without the Internet. So what will I do instead?

I’m gonna:

Breath deeply. Do yoga. Eat lots of yogurt and granola and english muffins (gluten-free of course) with peanut butter — real yummy with a good cup of coffee.

Sleep in. Take long hot baths. Take my new hiking shoes hiking and pray that I don’t get blisters. Yep, band-aids are packed — check.

The hiking will take me around Killarney Lake, a two-hour jaunt, and I will climb to a rocky plateau to take in the spectacular view over Queen Charlotte Channel. This is my favourite spot. I discovered a secret hideaway that not too many people know about. One summer afternoon I sat on the edge of the cliff for hours without seeing one person. What can I say; I love my quiet time.

If I’m feeling particular perky, I will take the six-hour Mount Gardner hike to take in more spectacular views. Maybe I’ll even run into Harrison Ford on one of the trails. I hear he has a place on the island. Now that would be tweet-worthy! Hmm, maybe I should bring the laptop after all.

Will most likely see deer as they frequently hang out in residents’ backyards. And if I’m lucky I’ll see an owl again. While hiking around Killarney Lake a couple of years ago, I just happened to look up into the trees and there was an owl, staring down at me. We had a telepathic conversation for about 10 minutes, until my neck got sore. I introduced him to anyone who passed by.

I’ve packed my camera, a new sketch pad plus some fancy artist’s pencils and “professional” erasers; cause I make professional mistakes.

I’ll be journalling the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. And there’s even a book that found itself being slipped into my backpack that I just might read.

Of course there will be red wine with dinners. And later, tea with chocolate biscotti (gluten-free again) — expensive treats for a deserving woman.

Oh, and I’ve been drooling over a box of Guylian chocolates all week. Bought them cause they were on sale — a whole $3 off — and I can’t believe I HAVEN’T opened them yet. They’re coming with.

If it is raining, I’ll have a nap in the hammock chair on my own private patio. And lastly, there is a choice of three beaches that I can walk to for a view of the sunset.

This is an actual shot of this island basking in a sunset. At the end of the day, there is nothing better than a good sunset.

I’ll see you guys in about a week. Maybe when I get back I’ll post some of the sketches. Maybe.

Photo Credit 1: Silly G Wailo

Photo Credit 2: Smith

Tagged as: Bowen Island, managing stress, relaxation