The first time I ran away to the beach, I was a rising senior at UNC and working in my dream job: a summer internship at IBM. Though my position was as a secretary's helper, I hoped that getting my foot in the door would help me to get hired full time after my graduation from college.
But boy, was I disappointed! As I arrived at work each day, I sang, "Hello" to the engineers who filled the offices. Unlike the friendly faces who filled the rooms along the halls of my college dormitories, these men were introverted and somewhat gruff. And then the woman whom I worked for would fly off the handle if I entered the daily mail in her mail log imperfectly and then arrive the next morning with flowers as a way of apology.
Before the summer was half over I was crying in my room at home and unable to see how I could see it through. I remember my mother coming in, sitting down on my bed beside me, and asking me what I really wanted.
"I want to quit my job and run away to the beach!" I shouted through tears and sobs.
"Well, why don't you?" She gently responded.
To which I responded, "You mean, I can?"
And so I went into my job the next day, asked to see the manager, told him of my clashes with his secretary, and announced that I wanted to quit.
"Why didn't you come to me sooner?" He asked, surprised and dismayed.
But by then I was exasperated and determined to leave.
And so I did. I packed up the car with a tent, a cooler, and a few clothes and headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. And what a wonderful trip it was! I moved from campground to campground along the windy ocean shore until I ended up on Ocracoke Island where the surf was the most rugged and the ocean was delightfully warm. Unfortunately there was not a lick of shade and so I rode the free ferry between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke during the hottest part of the day to at least enjoy a little breeze. And after a week or so, my money ran out and so I called home to ask Mom to wire me more.
The first thing I bought was a cold pack of beer and shared it with the families around me who had been so gracious: inviting me for afternoon cocktails and h'orderves on one side, and for cards at the picnic table after dark on the other. I noticed that when I travelled alone, people were more apt to be friendly and say hello.
Soon afterward I took the two and a half hour ferry ride to shore and then drove down to Carolina Beach State Park. By the time ten days were through I was back home and looking forward to returning to college for my last year.
Looking back on those times, I realize now how important it is to follow your heart, to do the thing that you really want to do, and don't look back. You will either find fulfillment and joy, or if chastened, you can choose again and do what your heart is calling you to do.
In Joy!
Ronda
Location:Huntington Marsh Rd,Pawleys Island,United States
