Hello First name / Beautiful Reader
We made it to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! After a 6:40 a.m. flight (which meant very little sleep the night before), a short layover in Phoenix, and a few uncomfortable naps later, we arrived safely—and sweaty.
Even though we’re coming from Palm Springs, where it’s been a high of 110–115°F (around 80-90 in the mornings), the heat here still feels intense in a completely different way. The humidity wraps around you like a blanket you didn’t ask for. It’s a bit of an adjustment, but the moment we got into our room (of course, we had to wait first), we dropped our bags, got changed and walked straight to the beach, it all started to feel worth it.
And the ocean? Absolutely perfect.
Not cold and often cloudy (with June Gloom) like the Pacific back home in Southern California, and not overly warm like Florida waters can be. The waves were around 3–4 feet, just the right size for what we call getting “wrecked.” We got tossed around, came up laughing, and went back for more. Best of all, the beach was almost empty. No crowds, no chaos, just us and the water.
We did the same thing again today, hours in the ocean with hardly anyone around, and it got me thinking…
Are we the unusual ones for actually swimming in the ocean?
Everyone else is hanging out by the pool for seemingly all day. There's nothing wrong with the pool, but if I have a warm ocean to jump into, I'm there.
Sometimes I think there’s something primal about it. Giving yourself to something bigger than you. Letting the waves beat you up a bit. Laughing when you come up sputtering, hair in your mouth, salt on your tongue. It's chaos therapy.
Do you like to swim in the ocean?
Or does the idea freak you out a little? (Sharks. Jellyfish. The abyss. I get it.)
Let me know. I’m genuinely curious.
We don’t have much planned for this trip, which is kind of the point. Just a lot of beach time, reading, and enjoying meals by the pool. Some writing, of course.
I’m currently reading Stephen King’s new short story collection, You Like It Darker, on my Kindle. I really liked 11/22/63 and The Dead Zone, but haven’t read much else of his. These stories aren’t scary exactly—more thought-provoking and quietly unsettling, in that way he’s so good at. What are you reading this summer?
Talk soon,
Charlotte 💋
