There's a difference between traveling to check a box and going somewhere because you really need it.
Last year, sometime in March, it was still way too cool here to jump in the water. I remember craving the sun and warmth in a physical way, so I went south. A quick trip to South Florida, and suddenly I was in it. Summer had already arrived: warm, humid air, saltwater, sun-kissed skin, hot temps with hot coffee, one of my favorites. It wasn’t a big trip, but it was exactly what I needed. It reset something in my soul.
That’s the thing: we don’t always let ourselves use places this way. As a medicine cabinet.
If it’s calm you need, go somewhere that quiets you.
If it’s thinking you need, go somewhere that gives you space.
If it’s retail therapy, go.
If it’s art, go.
If it’s a jazz band, go.
If it’s a day to float, go.
There’s usually an answer, if you’re honest about what you’re craving.
If you want to visit us along the Panhandle: if you love the heat, the Gulf, long swims and bright days, plan a trip to the coast in the heart of summer. It’s okay that it’s full of energy and people. That might be exactly what brings you to life. If you love a quiet beach evening, a sweatshirt, and a slow walk by the water, come in the early spring. If you want golden light and moodier skies, come in the fall. And if you just feel off, restless, or worn out, go when you need to go, not just when it’s planned, but when it’s necessary.
Trips are often treated like milestones. But they can be something else entirely.
They can be medicine.
Lately, we’ve been delightfully absorbed by one of our favorite hideaways on St. George Island, Back to the Beach. A dreamy Old Florida property where we shot our most recent catalogue, and one you can book to experience for yourself (book it here). A stand of palms like you’ve never seen, a still, swampy pond with reaching moss and a canopy that reflects back on itself in a way that stays with you. There’s room to roam, to be free, to gather your loved ones, or to go off the grid for a little solitude. And just steps away, one of the most beautiful stretches of beach on the island, close enough, but somehow feeling worlds away.
Places like this have a way of giving you exactly what you didn’t realize you were missing, but you have to know which medicine to reach for, and when.
So figure out what a place gives you.
And when you need it, go get it.
Xx, Emily
