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| First time that I did not drive |
Even though I usually go to the beach at least once a year, having
no child or family with me is a new experience. I like the idea of having no one to worry about except myself. I decided to beach it with a “chill attitude” and with no set agenda. There
is nothing like being at the beach and walking along the edge of the sand and listening
to the sound of the cracking waves and wind.
Luckily for me, Spirit and Allegiant Air both have very inexpensive direct flights from Pittsburgh to Myrtle Beach so I
decided to beach it and relax early in
the summer with a bunch of new experiences!
Reflection
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| Sunrise from my balcony. I was up early to watch it several times. |
I have been to Myrtle Beach almost too many times to count but I
have always driven the 10 hour “nose bleed drive” to get there.
I decided that my beach driving days were over- another first. Also I have always gone to the beach for 8
days/7 nights and around the third day, I seemed to find myself counting down the days that I had left. With no one else to
worry about, I decided to make it a 10 day trip-third first. All of these things are conducive to a relaxing trip of new experiences.
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| I struggled putting up my umbrella |
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| Iowa friends. They drove all the way from Iowa! |
I was alone for the
first few days of my trip and thus I
appreciated the friendships that I made. Have you noticed how everyone seems to be so territorial
at the beach, sitting in the same spot each day? You see the same people and invite them into your life by striking up conversations.
It’s like sitting on an airplane, where you learn so much about a stranger knowing that
you will likely never see them again. Like the guy who saw me struggling with the
umbrella each day and then started to help me. Like the sweet women to my right who convinced me to wait out a beach rainstorm and then we jumped and gave each other the high-five when the sun came out after our ordeal. Like the teacher that I met on my walk who comes down by herself each year and sits by the same Polish lifeguard who is like her second son. Like the friends I met at the restaurant when I ate alone who invited me to join them and we had a blast listening to the band. This time I hope to make the effort to stay in touch with these
new found friends-a fourth first.
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| We waited out the storm together |
Going to Myrtle Beach which is usually a routine beach vacation was not only relaxing but developed into a
bunch of new experiences.
I say catch a plane from Pittsburgh or from wherever you are and relax and beach it!
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| Walked each morning before 9 am |
Spiritual Reflection
The seas that he made
belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. (Psalm 95:5)
Blessed is he whose
help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made the
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever.
(Psalm 146-5-6)
Other Sources