Lavallette, New Jersey: Life after Labor Day and the COVID effect

At a younger age, I failed to understand the value of taking time off to recharge and how to avoid burning out at my jobs. I didn't take a day off that wasn't a comp day until I was four years into my career.

With the pandemic still raging on and no real end in sight, I find that now is as good a time as any to reinforce this message: Stay safe and socially distanced, but take time for your mental health.

To heed my own word, I took a trip down the Jersey Shore in a place where I could stay distanced and safe.

I've been going down the shore since I was a kid, so I was curious about what I'd see down there now during the pandemic. Here's some visuals from the last week:

It's still weird to see the signs to mask up when in close proximity on the beach. Thankfully, for the week after Labor Day, that wasn't much of an issue. And much like when Hurricane Sandy hit, signs like the one in the second photo can be found up and down the main drag.

Remember early in the pandemic when nature began to find it's way back into cities where animals hadn't resided in years?

Lavallette isn't any different. The beach always had a ton of seagulls and sand pipers, but with less people on the beach, I've never seen the birds so brazen.

Some things never change at the beach. With plenty of space to social distance, beach life continued for the locals.

Also, it's amazing. Even with temperatures in the 60s outside, this dude was out surfing like it was the peak of summer. Kudos, dude.

Nothing relaxes me more than an evening down the shore. Maybe it's the late summer air rolling in off the ocean, maybe it's the way the orange rays color anything it touches, but a good evening walk by the bay is the best way to clear the mind.