The year started out a bit on the murky side. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and if I really wanted to continue being a full-time vagabond, wandering around the country. I still liked seeing new places, but the work of getting from Point A to Point B over and over again was taking its toll. Let’s face it, constantly thinking 6-12 months out about camping reservations isn’t for the faint of heart. Even a project manager can get burned out by that, given enough time. Maybe seven years was enough.
After a few months of moving around the south, I ended up at one of my happy places, the South Carolina coast. Walking on the beach at Huntington Beach State Park, I started thinking that a few months at the beach next winter might be what I really wanted. Still, it’s hard to change direction sometimes, especially when it’s a big one. I felt tossed around by ideas and possibilities, kind of like trying to swim in choppy surf on a windy day.
By the end of summer and a fair amount of self-assessment, I’d made some decisions and started making new plans that would put me at the beach for four months. The original plan was to stay at a beachfront RV park, but then I realized I wanted more space, more privacy, and, yes, my own shower. My soul felt a bit lighter, the indecision starting to solidify into actual commitments of place and time, and what had been a restless and challenging year started to look more manageable.
But, change can be hard, and that first month of not moving felt very weird indeed. I wondered if I had made the right call in settling into a 10th floor furnished condo. I missed my bed, my table, my little kitchen. But slowly, I eased into my new spot, adding things to make it more comfortable and appreciating the luxury of the ocean right outside my living room. And a spot to set up my sewing machine, letting me deep-dive into quilting. On this day, the last of 2023, I find myself learning to live with new uncertainties.
Way back in 2001, I was walking through a park in Tokyo, Japan with my friend, Dave, when he suddenly stopped and said “We really are lucky bastards to be here.” Four years later, he would be gone, but I’ve always remembered that day and that sentence. I went for a walk early this morning, bundled up against the cold wind. He’s right, I am lucky to be here.
There is no end to what we can do or where we can go. Only our imagination limits our adventures
I’m halfway through my time in the condo, feels like time has flown and dragged at the same time, how weird is that?!
That’s a great line, Laura, “I’m not sure where I want to be but it’s where I am” – here’s hoping 2024 brings you some clarity and some certainty, as well as adventures.
Thanks, Nita! As my friend said, learning to embrace imperfections and uncertainties is a lifelong project 🙂
You’ve been an inspiration to me the way you’ve moved around, adjusted to realities, and finally got settled into your NC home. Shows me it can be bumpy roads to new places but it works out in the end.
Thanks, Anne, and hope your 2024 is off to a good start. If you want higher-resolution versions of any photos, just set let me know and I can email you or put it in a Dropbox somewhere.
I think so, Dale. I kind of felt the need to change over the last year or so, but it took me a while to actually figure out what to do. Which was also hard to do because of the constant movement!
Your post is so deep and thought provoking Annie, it could be rejuvenating to mix it up from time to time?
I love your posts, Annie. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! I want to print and frame every photo in this post. Such rich and soothing photos. Happy New Year to all of us! Peace, health and happiness to all. You are on the right path!
“Learning to live with new uncertainties…” so beautifully put! Enjoy your settled down time, and wishing you everything good in this coming year!
Your most brilliant post ever.
Oh Annie. What a brilliant post. I hope you have a splendid New Year. Happy everything, always.
Happy New Year Annie!!
Love reading about your adventures. Happy New Year, Laura
This has been a year of change for me too, although my change involves my parents moving in with me, not me moving anywhere. It’s certainly been an adjustment…not always good, not always bad, sometimes quite stressful. I’m not sure I’m where I want to be, but I guess right now, it’s where I am. I hope your 2024 is less uncertain and always still full of adventures!
There are several agencies and they list online. Myrtle Beach is a big summer vacay spot so winter rentals are pretty easy to get.
Oh, I forgot to ask….how does a person find a furnished condo for 4 months?
I think you spent a lot of time analyzing your options and making a decision. 4 winter months looking at the SC ocean sounds lovely. Perhaps you’ll be on the move again in the spring, but whether you are or not, you have this time to reflect, to watch the water, to see the sun rise, to walk the beach. That’s got to be wonderful. Change doesn’t always have to be hard.
I was just wondering this morning whether you were settling in for a longer term in SC or getting itchy feet to get the Alto out of storage and take off. As my friend who escaped the Shah in Iran always says, “Change is good.” It doesn’t always feel like it, but it is.