Stacey Seaside

Dearest Gentle Reader,

(because I really like the way Lady Whistledown addresses her faithful readers of the gossip mongering scandal sheet “Society Papers” in Bridgerton)

I have been MIA–missing in action!

MIA originally referred to military personnel who are unaccounted for after a combat mission, meaning they are neither confirmed as killed, captured, nor safe.

The term implies uncertainty about the person’s fate, with the possibility that they may still be alive, wounded, or taken prisoner.

“MIA” here is my unscheduled absence from my regularly scheduled blog; you haven’t heard from me for a while–September 6.

I apologize. August is an insane time of year on the island–everything is crushed and throbbing going nowhere fast. September and now into mid-October my life has been filled with visiting friends and family for my own celebrations, two weddings and then I sent myself off on a delicious and much needed yoga retreat that was so much more than holding poses or following a vinyasa flow.

My last post in September lauded my 64th birthday celebration with dear friends gathered to toast another year of me. Our team attitude is that good health and dear friends are the most precious things we have with a continuous hope to gather annually. The excuse for the celebration is my birthday but it is truly a celebration of reunion, reconnecting, rejoicing in being present in Mykonos altogether for yet another year.

This celebration was number 10 of the sort. Not knowing how to do this better, discussions are ongoing about a concert weekend in the Acropolis Metropolis in 2025. To be continued …

The weddings

Not just any weddings.

I witnessed 2 couples join their lives in love with matrimony–beautiful parties, planned to the last detail with great taste and thoughtfulness.

Both were highly emotional.

The first wedding I knew the bride and held her at a tender 6 weeks of age. She was with my son from their first babysitter until junior high.

The groom was a toddler who shared playdates with my son.

The mothers of each, dear friends who I have shared plenty of laughter and tears.

It is joyous to watch this type of coupling.

The second couple’s wedding also carried an emotional punch.

I held the bride as a tiny infant and have watched her grow into a beautiful young woman, both inside and out.

The groom is a sweetheart but I did not know him, beyond wandering into the shop to buy a pencil or an eraser years ago when my bookstore was positioned across from the island’s grammar school.

And in this case as well–the mother of the bride, the dearest of friends.

Two fantastic parties.

And the day after wedding number 2, I hopped on a high-speed ferry and headed to the island of Milos. A retreat was already in progress so I joined on day 3, welcomed by the other 8 attendees already in it. I feared being an outsider by joining late but dear friend Lucy–and mentor–eased me right in with a “re-introduction” morning as we acquainted ourselves with one another. I already knew 3 of the other attendees so that eased the join considerably. We had attended other retreats with Lucy in both Milos and Mykonos.

Going to the retreat had been ruled out months in advance. When I saw the second wedding overlapped with the retreat dates, I was disappointed because I really enjoyed Milos last October and wanted to go back. The island felt very comfortable to me. I felt familiar and at ease there.

But life takes a curve sometimes for the good. Lucy called me in late August and we discussed last year’s drives about the island and the van rental. She was talking about hiring a driver.

And then I simply volunteered to go on the days she would need driving. And that worked for both of us. I had the return to Milos I longed for and Lucy was able to provide a service to the retreat attendees by seeing different parts of the island on a schedule that gelled with her plan and program for us.

I always forget how organically Lucy works through a session because it is not just about fine tuning a body movement for the most physical benefit; she softly encourages you to open your soul and look inside yourself helping you to see things that give you joy and the things that make you ache–both physically and emotionally. Through the yoga practice, the TRE sessions and the breathwork, you come to some understandings about yourself–even if you resist at first because you can’t understand how these activities can possibly help.

I didn’t realize how much I had missed the yoga practice–I was injured in a session someone else was teaching back in December and just never went back. I was able to follow through on much of the practice–okay, I have never been able to do a plank and I cheat during the tree pose because I am not as steady as I would like to be. But after the first practice and in the days that followed, no aches, no pains–just sweaty and tired. Others were complaining about being sore.

After that first day, I knew that I needed to be in Milos for these cathartic sessions.

They helped clear the fog of summer—the exhaustion of my return to the retail floor for 6 hours on my feet daily (staffing issues at my sons’ business put me back there to help them pick up the slack.) But I am truly not “up” for it any longer. 27 years of Billys and another 7 in the market–the thread of patience and humor has worn thin.

Dear Jan summed it up perfectly.

“My patience was tested. I’m zero.”

Yup, definitely me.

So going to Milos and exclusively looking out for Stacey for 3 days was good.

So Gentle Reader (again, thank you Lady Whistledown), I am back.

I am not doing retail 6 hours daily; and all the friends and family are back home or off on other adventures.

There is a winter ahead that is compelling as changes long awaited are coming my way.

I am looking forward to the dust of reconstruction and days without a deadline and having to be somewhere. Even “my office” at Agios Stefanos has shuttered for the season.

I will have to do without the cool Mythos Giorgios or Tasos bring me with my chilled mug after I emerge from the Aegean!

I will be forced to bring my own libations to sip after a serene swim.

And I am looking forward to getting back to the keyboard for the fun we will have together, dear Gentle Reader.