Self Discovery: Episode 2

We are currently on our beach portion of our trip! Fun fact about me, I haven’t been to a Florida beach since before I could retain memories. I haven’t even been to any type of beach since I was 18. So it’s safe to say that when we crossed the bridge into Pensacola, I turned into a little kid at Christmas (ironically I turned red like Christmas lights after one day). Opal Beach, FL, Peter’s Point, FL, Myrtle Beach, SC, Litchfield Beach, NC, Emerald Isle, NC were the stops we chose. All were relatively low trafficked at the time we visited them, as to maintain social distancing.

Okay, so what did I get out of this? When we got back to the hotel after our second day in Florida, I was in some kind of mood. I told Kristin I was going to take the rest of the day to be lazy. I changed out of my sandy clothes, forced myself to shower, and curled up in the fluffy hotel sheets and blankets and went to bed. Sounds like typical vacation at the beach...except it was like 4:45pm and we had only been out for like 2 hours. We hadn’t had a rough day, so why was I feeling so exhausted? I woke up three hours later feeling really sad. Missing people, missing home, missing working, missing normalcy. I lost my job 68 days ago and home 51 days ago. For the love of God I wanted normalcy.

Standing on Litchfield beach at 6:08am waiting for the sun to break through the rain-filled clouds over the ocean, I let my feet sink in the sand. When I usually would have my camera out trying to capture the moment on film, I was focused on the waves crashing against my legs. It was cold and windy and the water was warm and consistent. Every time it reached up to grab the shore, it got yanked back into the sea. No matter how hard or how many times the water tried to grasp land it was always taken back to it’s home. With every pull I had to anchor my feet further into the ground so it didn’t take me with it. As the sky turned pink, I was tempted to take the sea up on her offer. But then the sky turned yellow and while the ocean continued her attempt to escape, rocking back and forth, I turned around, lifted my heavy feet out of the sand and walked toward shallower waters.

Whoa, emotional.. Well yeah a little, I’m kinda an emotional person. From that experience I am reminded just how much nature has to tell me. In the midst of me feeling sorry for myself and wanting things to go back to normal, I remembered that I hated that life. It made my skin crawl being stuck in a concrete jungle running the “rat race” as my friend Tyler so gently and frequently reminds me (insert eyeroll). But he’s right. I have become just like the waves, aching for new land and getting pulled back in the never ending current, never fully drowning but wishing I would.

Travel is less about just “going places'' and more about experiencing things. It teaches us new things and refreshes our old memories. It gives fresh perspective to life. Whether it’s cultural, spiritual or becoming one with nature. Experiencing things outside of your normal life is beneficial for growth. I’m not saying that you can’t learn from staying where you are, but traveling can help tremendously in keeping you from becoming stagnant. To me, travel looks mostly outdoors. I feel closest to my true self when I’m outside and letting the earth speak to me. I also love experiencing and learning about other cultures, because I want to know about people who are different from me and what their views on life are. Take a piece of the wisdom of others with me to pass along and keep for myself. So I encourage you to travel outside of your comfort zone and open your mind to the wonders that travel has to offer. If you find yourself in a similar situation as mine, hit me up. I’d love to hear what yall’re all doing to get through it and I’d love to open up a little bit more and share my story as well.

COVID-19 EDIT: Interpret the word “travel” to mean whatever you want it to. You don’t have to visit another country, state, or even city to allow yourself to travel outside your comfort zone. (Although I highly recommend it when this is all over.) Don’t know where to start? Open up TedTalk's youtube channel dude and go.to.town. Not only are they full of facts but also opinions and perspectives. Look up your local state parks and take the family on a new hike. I know that a lot of national forests are open and have endless miles of trails that you can explore or just sit and watch wildlife. And if you really want to put your life into perspective from your couch, try watching TIMELAPSE OF THE FUTURE: A Journey to the End of Time TIMELAPSE OF THE FUTURE: A Journey to the End of Time (4K). It’s a documentary on how they (whoever “they” are) think the universe will end. I personally think it’s a bunch of bullhunky, but dude, it’ll make you think. Anyway, don’t put the word travel in a box of strict rules and regulations.