I know, or really hope, I am not the only one out there who obsesses on an idea. I drive myself crazy with thoughts sometimes. Like this morning I woke up perfectly smiley and then my thoughts came rushing back and I found myself half frowning stumbling around the kitchen making coffee. Those darned thoughts. Last weekend Andrey tried to happily bring up jobs and careers with me over breakfast and I shot him a look and explained, that please it was the weekend- I was already obsessing, but I certainly didn't want to do it out loud, all over breakfast and possibly down my face (i.e. tears). He obliged.
This is how I can get, it's rare but really obsessive. I just sit there, over and over the same ideas. It's so boring and yet I cannot stop. I have, however, devised a few places to go and see and things to do when I get just like this.
- Go find water. I know, it is such a cliche, but just looking at the water, whether it's the constant stillness or the crazy churning the water calms me down. For a super quick fix I drive past Gold Star Beach. For more involved, obsessive or necessary introspective moments, I park myself on a bench at the docks in Northport. I can stare at the water and think, I can pretend I know how to use my camera and take pictures, and I can chit chat with the passersby with really, really cute puppies.
- I've also been known to take a drive out to Lloyd Neck. Beautiful houses (note to those trying to calm down, don't try to imagine how much a down payment on one of them is, or how you will ever make that money or furnish it or make the monthly mortgage payment- and even if you do pay it off, the TAXES? And omigod, I want to retire, when can I retire? etc, and so on. Just look at them and think "Oh, that's pretty.") There is water there too - West Neck Beach is private and super quiet, especially in the winter, when it is so silly gorgeous.
(See, here I am being introspective and thoughtful--
seriously though, this was right after I graduated from college and was in round one of "Holy Heck, what am I doing with my life?!" panics)
- Retail therapy is not a myth, nor does it hinge on you actually buying things. Sometimes just going to the stores is enough. Take a leisurely drive out to the Deerpark Outlets, or a significantly prettier (and longer, for me) drive out to the Riverhead Outlets. Though I should add that the Deerpark outlets are set up like an outdoor, upscale mall. Sort of like Long Island's version of The Grove, only with less LA and celebrities (pluses, I think). I spent an afternoon with Baby Brother Lovely about a month ago just walking around, window shopping and thinking about happy things. And it worked, look how happy I look in this picture!
- You know the expression, even a broken clock is right twice a day? Well, even an idiot will offer up something helpful and true eventually- an idiot I once knew said "If bars were more like dog parks, the world would be a better place." That, I agree with. I'm a personal fan of the dog park at Coindre Hall. First benefit of Coindre Hall- it's gorgeous and will just make you happy to look at. Second benefit- the dog park over looks the water, see my first piece of advice to understand how I feel about water. Third benefit- there are dogs there! Dogs, some big, some small. Some sweet, some...issued. The owners are generally great and chatty. And dogs are entrancing and fun to watch, they just putter and patter and play.
So, there you have it. A few places I run off to when I need to retain some of my sanity on Long Island. Lovely Locals, any other ideas? And my mainland readers- where do you go in your hometown to grab a moment or two of piece of mind?
