The Island

I know I have been MIA for a few days and will definitely be MIA for another couple of days, but Internet and cell service on this island are spotty. I also am not sure if I am picking up service from Canada, so I keep my phone (what I normally blog from) on airplane mode just in case. And it's lovely.

This place is my favorite place in the entire world. It's magical. I needed to come here. I could feel myself slipping back into the old Rachel. Here there are only 100 people who live on the 4 mile island year round. It's all dirt roads, electricity comes from solar panels and generators, we go to the bathroom in outhouses, and we spend the entire day doing literally nothing but being with each other and laughing.

Here no one cares what you look like (the showers are rare around here), what you're wearing (usually a bathing suit for the entire day), if you're too fat (that's impossible here, all you do all day is move your body) or too thin (that's impossible here, all you do all day is eat the most delicious homemade food). All anyone cares about is if you are kind, funny, and enjoy their island as much as they do.

Here I haven't been stressing over if I'm running enough (I'm not), if I'm lifting enough (there are no weights here, unless you count picking up small children), if I'm eating too much (I am). I am just living and soaking in nature. I have worn shoes approximately 4 times since I've been here, my cheeks are slightly pink, and my hair is salty from the sea.

I've run one day. I was getting antsy. So, I strapped on my shoes and ran. For 30 minutes. I had no GPS or music. It was just me and the (dirt) road. It was really liberating. I've been stressing about being faster, going farther and I've been feeling tired. I've been avoiding the run instead of looking forward to it. But on this vacation, I am allowing myself not to care if I'm the fastest and to just run and enjoy it. It was fantastic.

So now, I've got to put my phone back on airplane mode, but don't think I've left the blog world forever! I've just left the real world for a week and a half, and it's amazing.