We are back after spending a week on Bonita Beach in southwest Florida. I really needed this vacation. Work has been intense and this trip came at precisely the right time for my mental health. It was the first time in my career that I left work completely at home. No laptop. No work phone. Completely disconnected. And it was awesome.

While in Bonita, we just relax. Lots of time on the beach. We intentionally keep the itinerary empty and everyone just does what they feel like doing.

My favorite thing to do is take an early morning run on the beach. Our spot is just north of the Barefoot Beach preserve, which offers miles of undeveloped beachfront. I run this every morning while here and it is amazing. I can run for 2 hours and not see another human. Most mornings, the only other living things I see are porpoise, birds and jumping fish. In all my years vacationing there, I had never run the complete island in one go, so I decided to do that this time.

The point of a vacation is to return refreshed and rejuvenated. This trip did that for me and I’m ready to get get back after it now that I’m home.