Can I admit I was wrong?
The life of a New Yorker can be frenetic. It would be safe to say I am victim of getting not enough sleep. So it was only natural that I was worried about traveling from New York to Nice and losing that night of sleep — especially with a Club Med schedule full of activities to do while staying at Opio en Provence. I admit I entered the Club Med property a bit apprehensive. Those travel buzzwords: “all- inclusive” “resort” “package” “buffet” collectively are not exactly my forte. I always imagined such a place would feel confining and limiting for those who like to explore.
Can I admit I was wrong? The whole 'do what you want, when you want’ attitude of Club Med as it turns out works really nicely for people who actually tend to prefer to do what they want, when they want to. The first thing I wanted to do when I got to Opio en Provence was rest. That was all I wanted to do. But as an avid traveler I knew a cardinal rule of traveling six or more hours east is to just suck it up and spend the day exhausted — then crash in the evening. After all, admittedly there were things I was interested in doing like swimming and sunning mostly, but I also had curiosity in golf and archery. (The former I always envisioned could blossom into sneak attack schmoozing skills and the latter I found amusing if somehow I discovered an inner hunter.) I relaxed that “try to do everything” aside and sunk into the surprisingly comfy bed and chose instead to take a nap. It was an amazing nap. (And I don't nap.) I woke up a few hours later and over enjoyed a few of my favorite indulgent French things: rose, cheese and foie gras. That night I slept like a baby, waking up not to the city sounds I've grown to tune out and love, but to the gentle sounds of nature! Birds chirped outside of my window, the sun crept in through the curtains and I inhaled what felt suspiciously like fresh air. It had been months since I felt this utterly comfortable and rested. I slipped out of bed with no deadline, no urgency requiring me to move quickly – just simply the pleasant and calm will to get up and be outside. I opened my private porch door and slipped outside into a chair admiring jasmine and lavender flowers inching across the perimeter of my balcony. Taking my time I opened my book for a quick chapter read. When I was ready I’d see about teeing up and even aiming for the day's target!
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