Who else loves a beach vacation? Sun, surf, a good trashy novel, and usually not a care in the world. It’s one of the easiest ways to get instant relaxation. But what do you do when it’s late fall/winter where you live, you need stress-relief PRONTO and you live 1000 miles from the closest beach? Sure you can drop a few hundred/thousand bucks and fly to one but what if that’s not an option?
Here’s what I do to go to the beach in my landlocked state (Colorado):
- grab a large, low plastic tote like the ones you can buy at Target or Home Depot in the storage section.
- Fill it about 1/4-1/2 of the way up with play sand (you can find that at Home Depot).
- Find a comfy chair (I use a camping chair) and place it in front of the bin
- Turn the heat up (or use a space heater next to you if you have one – added benefit of this is that if you have a fan powered one it creates a breeze)
- If you have a desk or floor lamp that you can move and point in different directions, bring it near the chair and point it at the chair (preferably where your head will be)
- Make yourself a fruity liquor drink (or a virgin one works too)
- Put on some music
- Remove your socks and shoes, roll your pants up, and sit down in the chair. Put your feet in the sand. Dig your toes in. Lay back, close your eyes, and sip on your drink.
- voila! Instant beach. Instant relaxation.
When you are done, just put the lid on the sand container and store until next time. This does work well as a mini-sandbox for your kids too. Just throw it down on the floor over some newspaper and give them a few small toys to play with.
