Cape Cod Getaway

I’ve been told that when radiation treatments begin 5 days a week, there’s no missing a treatment, no opportunity to get away since I work on weekends. So we took the opportunity this last weekend to feel the healing rhythms of the beach. We stayed in “The Upper Room” at Agape B&B on Cape Cod. (That was really the name of the room. Other names included the Mustard Seed.) Many of the stores were “shut” for the season. There’s a reason for that. In April, it’s still old, especially with the breeze coming off the frigid ocean.

There’s no parking fee at the beaches. Again, there’s a good reason for that–no one in their right mind is out there this time of year. But knowing we were unlikely to experience the ocean during the summer, I persisted. Others jumped out of their cars, tightly wrapped in coats, took one look at the waves and quickly returned to their cars. We must’ve looked pretty pathetic or desperate or crazy sitting on the beach blanket, having a picnic lunch with hats and gloves on, alone on the beach.

Finally, we gave up on the idea of a relaxing day reading on the beach. The cold wind would’ve chapped our faces and blown our books apart. We opted instead for hikes on every trail in the area. Which seemed to do my body good. After the first day, my headache ceased, my shoulder muscles released some of the tension they’d been carrying and for several hours at a time (between medication), I felt like myself.

Highlights included sitting at Bass Hole watching the sun set over the salt marsh with four “strangers” all giggling as we tried to stay warm and threatening to sing "Kumba Ya" if the sun didn’t set faster. It dropped rapidly after that.

We also had some great food. We splurged on a chocolate lava cake and managed to find yogurt every day. The feather topper on the extra-high four poster bed provided a great place to nap–it helped there weren’t cats or a television to interfere. We even managed to get some Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and graduation gifts. Errands we’ve had trouble finding time to run.

Before I left, I shared with a colleague that I felt strangely guilty about getting away even though the recovery process and side effects were making my work less productive. He reminded me that whatever I did to foster hope and support the mind, supports the body also.

I returned on Sunday, ready for movement choir rehearsal.