San Diego Revisited

Cool ocean breeze. Sun warm on the face. Roar of crashing waves. Pacific Beach in San Diego is a feast for the senses even when I close my eyes.

Last time I visited this city, I loved the stimulation of exploring a different tourist site each day. This time my travel companion and I rarely ventured more than a block from the beach. Watching her frolic in the sand as she did long ago, growing up by Lake Michigan, I realized vacations aren’t just about novelty. They’re also about ways new discovery intertwines with the deep comfort of the familiar.

​To revisit happy childhood memories warms the spirit. To start and end a vacation day with rituals from home sets a framework for the excitement in between. To re-enter an eatery I first tried yesterday begins to feel like home today when the server welcomes me back. I’m learning to appreciate both the adventure and the comfort, and the ways each enriches the other.