Last summer I decided to quit my job and move to the beach.
Now, to be fair, it’s important to note that I was basically moving back home. I wasn’t coming to an unfamiliar place, or even a place I’d never lived before. It’s only a little over an hour’s drive from where I had been living for the last fifteen-ish years; I didn’t even have to change doctors or find a new hair stylist. But it’s different this time around, because I’m not in my twenties and living with my parents. I’m not a surly kid working in a t-shirt shack and spending my days on the sand and my nights at the bar.
The Endless Summer this ain’t.
Now I’m in my thirties with bills to pay and bad joints and too many cats. I’ve got a full-time, career-type job, I’m a member of a CSA, and I bake brownies for my neighbor when he cuts my grass. I’ve got deadlines and my car needs a tune-up and the fridge is disgusting.
But I live at the beach! And it was the best move I’ve ever made. Even the cons aren’t too conny, if you know how to make the best of them. Living on a tiny island, in a just-barely-incorporated town with a permanent population of around 7,000 that swells to 40,000 in the summer isn’t for everyone. But it’s definitely for me, and sometimes I need to remind myself why I moved here. Simplifying isn’t as easy as you might think. For an anxious person like me, it’s a constant struggle to remind myself that I do not have to be stressed out or worried, that I sacrificed some things to relocate here (I haven’t been inside a Target since January), and I’m totally okay with that.
It sounds ridiculous, but despite living on an island that’s less than a mile wide there are days when I don’t see the ocean. How is that possible?? So here’s my reminder to myself to stop taking it for granted and appreciate this weird, beautiful place I call home.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I bought a house and didn’t have time to put down new floors and do some painting before I had to start my new job. I didn’t want to move all my junk down here until the floors were done, though, so I lived here for about a month on an air mattress with one chair and my tv. And guess what? I still loved it!
But! I moved here in the fall, which is one of the best times because the weather is nice but the crowds are gone and we have a festival every weekend. Beer, music, mullet tossing. YES I SAID MULLET TOSSING. My pal was the mullet toss champion. BAM.
And, okay. The winter kinda sucks. January/February/March are the literal worst. But everyone is in the same boat and we all understand what it’s like to get the offseason crazies. People will drag you out for a drink or a movie or just a trip to Kmart (endless amusement. ENDLESS). And it’s even kinda pretty, especially if it snows.
Also, in the offseason you can take your dog to the beach any time you want. Once summer rolls around it’s NO DOGS ALLOWED (except early and late, and even then they have to be leashed). But in the fall, winter, and early spring? FREEDOM! And not much makes me happier than watching my dogs run around on the beach.
Working in an office can blow. Doesn’t matter if you’re a block away from the ocean. Shit, sometimes that makes it even worse because you have to sit there and watch doughy tourists have fun on vacation all day. But at the same time, YOU’RE A BLOCK AWAY FROM THE OCEAN. That means lunch breaks that can’t be beat.
We have more than just the beach! This area is considered pristine by most ecologists and there are thousands of acres of protected land just south of the touristy areas. The only wild pack of red wolves in the WORLD lives just about in my backyard and we also have a huge population of black bears. Alligators, deer, bobcats, all kinds of birds – it’s heaven. (I’ve heard the wolves howl. HOWLING. WOLVES. How cool is that???)
Did I mention we have wild horses? We have wild horses. These guys were designated as the state horse of North Carolina and there are about 150 of them who live in a protected area that’s accessible by 4WD. Seeing them never ceases to be magical and if I need a reset this is the easiest way to do it. I mean…WILD HORSES. It’s every little girl’s dream.
So no, I don’t spend as much time as I’d like laying on the beach, getting tan. In fact, I haven’t spent any time doing that. But my life has changed drastically – for the best. People have told me that even my dogs seem more relaxed now, and I know that’s a direct reflection of my own mood. Island life certainly isn’t for everyone. There are times when it’s really isolating, and there are times when I think what have I done (particularly when I really, really want to go to Target…). Life is slower here and it’s not a walk in the park (er, a walk on the beach?) like all those “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” Pinterest boards may lead you to believe. But there’s certainly some value in slowing down, taking stock of your priorities, and buying the beach house.
Those Corona commercials are lying to you. Living on an island is even better than they say.
