One Week before the Summer Season . . .

Telephoto of a dune rose from a protective walkway, Cape May Point

. . . . officially opened on Memorial Day, Pris and I drove down to Cape May for some R&R.  The weather decided to cooperate, with most of the days very comfortably conducive to outdoor activities.    

The only exception was a heavy rainfall that did not interrupt our plans, as it came down late one evening long after dinner, when we had already returned to our bed and breakfast inn in West Cape May.

Typically while on vacation, I’ve always packed my PC, using it to write posts to this blog and to do some surfing on the Internet.  Not this time.  Both of us decided not to bring any electronic devices except cell phones and a camera.  My phone remained shut down most of the time; while Pris left hers on to receive any potentially urgent call:  that was it – detox time.

By habit, I am an inveterate newspaper junky and Internet habitué – always have been.  Each morning, I read the print edition of The Star-Ledger and the Courier News; and, each day, I also scan the Internet to peruse other information sources, including my electronic subscription to The Boston Globe.

However, I’ve come to realize that all that’s printed is, at times, not fit to print.  Example: for endless months The Star Ledger has been on a seemingly interminable ranting campaign aimed at New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie.

What we discovered while on vacation is that, like us, people need to get away, if only for a short time, from the inane raging of the world and with its preoccupation with the trivialities of the electronic screen.

 

What was particularly astonishing is that smartphones were a rarity at Cape May, at least while we were there – in restaurants, on the beach, on the boardwalk, on sidewalks, in shops and on the busy outdoor mall of Cape May.

 Of course, there were the occasional exceptions.  But, for five delightful days, it was a pleasure to be among an aggregation of people of all types who appeared to have made a decision to replace breathing the ozone of the Internet in exchange for the fresh air of the sea.

Think like that bee in the accompanying photo.  It goes about its business with no demands but the nectar of a flower for its well-being.  If only we were as wise in our relationships with others.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your summer.