Stress Relief, the Natural Way

I laid blissfully in the huge tub for almost a half hour, doing absolutely nothing.  After the past month, it was quite possibly the best feeling ever.  When Brody stuck his head in to tell me dinner would be ready in a few minutes, I reluctantly got out, dried off, and found some sweatpants and a tank top to put on.  I met Brody out on the deck, where we ate our delicious dinner.  Doesn't food always taste better when someone else cooks it for you?

After dinner, Brody grins at me.  "Feel like reliving your childhood?" he asked.

"Hmmm, depends on which part," I responded, cocking an eyebrow.

He disappeared into a hallway and came back with a stack of board games.  Life, Scrabble, Monopoly, and checkers.

"The best part!" I exclaimed.  "Yes, please."  I'm a huge board game fan, I don't even care how lame it is.  And board games tailored to adults just aren't nearly as much fun as driving a plastic car filled with plastic peg people through a simulated life.  We played Life, then two games of Scrabble.  After I beat him mercilessly (again) on the second game, he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay!  If I had a white flag, I'd wave it.  I can't handle losing another game tonight," he said, laughing.  He looked at his watch, and informed me it was after 11.  We were planning to hike tomorrow and I wanted to go all the way to the lake this time, so we were hoping to get an earlier start.

We were up around 7 and on our way by 8.  It was a beautiful morning, cool and crisp and sunny.   Brody decided to drive us the half mile to the trailhead since we planned to try to do the whole 10 miles.  We grabbed our packs and set off. 

Because of the nature of both of our jobs, we generally spent very little time talking about work.  HIPAA (and my own morals) kept me legally bound to protect my clients' privacy, and Brody was contractually obligated to keep his mouth shut about his.  So aside from some talk about coworkers and very general stories, we are forced to find other things to talk about.  With someone else, it might be difficult, but with Brody, it was easy.

We talked and joked easily during most of the 5 miles down to the lake.  We made good time, since it was generally downhill.  At the lake, we stopped and took out the sandwiches we had packed.  After we had eaten them, I walked down the rocky "beach" to the edge of the gorgeous lake.  I stuck my hand in, and pulled it out quickly.  The water, as I had suspected it would be, was ice cold.

Brody had walked down after me, and smiling deviously, he picked me and threw me over his shoulder.  He walked right up to the edge of the lake with me over his shoulder.  "Want to go for a swim?" he asked, laughing.

"No!" I shrieked.  "If you don't put me down..." I trailed off, at a loss for a useful threat.

"Down?" he asked innocently.  He flipped me off his shoulder towards the lake, catching me inches from the shallow, freezing water.   "Be careful what you wish for," he said with a wink, turning and depositing me gently on the rocks.  I mock-glared at him, and he just smiled and kissed me.  We gathered our stuff and started back.

The hike back was considerably more difficult, and I was feeling the thinner air on top of it.  We went slowly and took a few breaks, but by the time we made it back to the trailhead, I was seriously thankful to not have to keep going the half mile back to the cabin, because I was pretty sure I couldn't take another step.

I hauled myself into the SUV and collapsed against the seat.  "Okay?" Brody asked me, glancing over as he started it up.  I nodded.  I was tired and sore but I felt refreshed and calm.  The past few weeks of work were a distant memory.  I smiled and shut my eyes, leaning my head against the head rest.

When we got back, Brody grabbed both of our packs and held out a hand to me as I stood at the bottom of the deck stairs, looking dubiously up.  "I think you might have to carry me," I declared.

"12 stairs, and then you can sit in the hot tub for the rest of the day, if you want," he replied, tugging on my hand. 

"Can I eat in there too?  Because I am starving."  I managed the steps, and decided the hot tub was an excellent idea, I immediately went to put on my swim suit.  Brody came in while I was changing and eyed my half naked body.  "Nope.  Don't you even think about it," I warned him.  "I need to recover.  You're insane."  He laughed and changed too.

We got in the hot tub and the hot water made my sore muscles instantly feel better.  When Brody pulled my foot into his lap and began massaging it, working his way up my calf muscle, I leaned back and closed my eyes.  He moved his hands up to my tender, overworked hamstring and I yelped.   "Sorry," he said, decreasing the pressure of his fingers.  He worked his way up my hamstring then grabbed my other foot, repeating the process.  "If you want," he said, still rolling his knuckles over my hamstring, "we can go inside and I can do a better job.  I'll do your back too."

That was a no brainer, and after a quick shower I was soon getting an excellent massage.  It didn't take too long for it to turn into something a little more scandalous, but I wasn't wasting time cuddling afterward.  I was starving and pulled him to the kitchen with me.  We made some dinner and ate out on the deck, drinking wine.  After dinner, I washed dishes while Brody started a fire in the pit, and we spent the rest of the night drinking wine and making s'mores. 

"Ready for a longer hike tomorrow?" Brody asked jokingly, as we put out the fire.

"Yup, as long as you're carrying me!" I retorted.


In the morning, I was awake before Brody.  I went into the kitchen and turned on the Keurig.  I chopped some veggies and was scrambling eggs for omelets when Brody walked in.  He smiled sleepily at me.  "Good morning, gorgeous."

"Morning," I said, smiling back.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Sore as hell.  Not ready for tomorrow to be Monday.  But other than that, pretty damn good!"  We ate breakfast leisurely, then cleaned up.  We loaded our stuff into the Sequoia and started back.

When we got to Brody's house, he asked if I wanted to stay for awhile, but I shook my head.   "I have laundry and some cleaning I should get done.  If I don't do it today, I'm scared to see what it would look like by next weekend!"  We loaded my stuff into my car, and I leaned against it and pulled Brody close to me.  "Thank you," I said.  "This was amazing, and I needed it.  I'm so happy you took Friday off so we could do this.  I owe you big time."

"I'm glad it was what you needed.  It was good for me to have a weekend away too," he said.  "But don't be ridiculous, you don't owe me anything."  He kissed me and then I slipped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.  I pulled away reluctantly, kissing him one more time before getting into my car.

"Lunch sometime this week?" he asked, holding on my door as I put my seatbelt on.

"If I can.  I'll text you tomorrow and let you know my schedule," I responded.  He nodded and said goodbye before shutting my car door.  While a small part of me still dreaded work this week, I felt refreshed after spending the weekend in the mountains.