Moonlighting on the beach

When you like doing something a lot the natural tendency is to do it as often as possible. But if you overdo it it may lose its magic and become too familiar. And you know what they say familiarity breeds?

Enough talking in riddles. Let me come right out and say it.

Jeff and I love to spend whole nights outdoors under our tropical island’s stars on a soft sandy beach, inside one sleeping bag on a breezy hilltop or as snug as two bugs in a rug on our shoreline terrace, it doesn’t matter where.

 Breathing incredibly fresh warm night air and a total absence of human-made noise-or ‘clutter’ as it’s known since 9/11-are the two biggest attractions. Oh sure, you hear the odd church bell chime in the distance, a car skidding or a jet passing over, but if you choose your spot carefully you can spend hours cocooned only in a natural sound envelope of peaceful opportunity.  

There must also be something extra-special about tropical night-light-even when there’s no moon-to make fireflies perform their complex diving and weaving contortions. And sexagenarians who may no longer call their contortions ‘complex’ feel as close to being furtive teenagers as they are ever again likely to get.

So today’s $64,000 question is why aren’t we sleeping outdoors every night?

Mainly because we know from experience it would become commonplace and we don’t want that to happen. Anyway you just can’t plan something as important as this in advance. It has to happen spontaneously. As it did on the first morning of our New Year.

We’d welcomed 2004 at a lively party on the opposite side of the island and were homeward bound along the coast road with every intention of making it in one non-stop short leap. When all our lights went out.  

Now we could have continued and reached base easily. It wasn’t far, there was no traffic and we knew the way blindfolded. But we didn’t.

After Jeff parked the car safely out of harm’s way, we made our way down to the beach.

It was so wonderfully therapeutic, arguably the best star-sleep we’ve ever had, we actually discussed doing it less often to heighten the pleasure even more.

But of course we won’t. Because they-whoever they are-also say, “Go on, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.”