Here is a list of things I had forgotten over the course of my five* month break:
1. If you’re not drinking something a bit more high-spirited, you’re going to need more than one bottle of water - er, you’re going to be aware that you need more than one bottle of water. After four games, I had to sit out due to severe dehydration. I then continued to slump helplessly on the beach, anguishing over said dehydration…staring down Perry’s, fifteen feet-that-may-as-well-have-been-miles away.
2. There’s probably a tournament going on. (There was. We set up our shop-talk station five feet north of their charity-driven territory, waiting to be invited to play with the decently athletic folks dominating the two remaining free-for-all nets. We waited many hours.)
3. In addition to the sunglasses, magazines, altoids, almonds, book, lipgloss, and cozy cardi that you always remember to toss in your tote…you’ll need both sunscreen and a towel. (I managed to dig a towel out of that open space my Prius calls a trunk, and borrowed sunscreen from a friend. I usually use a spray sunscreen on my body and a cream for my face. This one was a spray version. Had I any real control over my mind slash actions, I would have decked myself out, head to toe, in drips of SPF…unfortunately, I slipped into auto-pilot and let my subconscious lead the way. Basically, I forgot to put sunscreen on my face. For the first time in a decade. On an 85 degree day. Did I mention I would be running a 5K for Melanoma the next morning?)
Speaking of hot temps and mobile feet…
4. The sand can be hot. Really, really hot. It’s rare here on the Pacific Coast, but it happens. They actually happen to make little things called Sand Socks, for just these sort of situations. We actually happened to be sprawled out next to one of their sponsor banners and actually happened to have multiple conversations revolving around their very existence. Then we played in our bare feet. It hurt. It hurt real bad. (Probably should have been less aggressive with the pumice stone that morning.)
…
It blistered. Angry, irritated, nauseatingly gooey-ish blisters. On the bottoms of our feet.
Did I mention I would be running a 5K for Melanoma the next morning?
…
[Insert UGG Slipper Collection plug here]
*Five because we live in CA, where you can play volleyball on Christmas Eve.