The Crash of Waves and the Smell of the Ocean

I have a coastal vacation scheduled and frankly it is long overdue. I fantasize about delicious seafood, refreshing boat drinks, sunshine, and fun in and on the water. And maybe a romantic walk or two on the beach.

I grew up on the Southeastern coast of North Carolina and when I was a teen and a young man I never thought that I would leave the coast. Of course, I can't say that I would have foreseen life play out the way that it has. Don't get it twisted. I have no real complaints.

At fifty-four years of age, I am driving a truck for a living. But I had long ago considered driving a truck because it offered a pretty good living, I wanted to provide for myself, and I wanted to be able to provide for a wife and kids. At the time I was in love with a young woman and saw a future together. We both did, I suppose, as we talked about marriage and the way that it might work out for us. That relationship ultimately ended, but I have no complaints. I truly believe that I was blessed to have loved this woman and for her to have loved me for a time. It just wasn't meant to be.

She was not a fan of the idea of me becoming a truck driver (her mother pointed out that it could provide a good living financially speaking). Just as she was adamant that she couldn't bear the idea of me being a police officer and waiting anxiously to see if I would survive my shift (a big part of the reason that I ultimately decided not to major in criminal justice). And yet here I am, decades later, living in rural Northern Illinois and "living the dream" of being a professional truck driver. You never really know how life is going to play out regardless of your daydreams of the future, your efforts, and your plans. Again, I have no complaints.

And while I ponder sometimes the reasons and factors that led to me leaving the coast, I have to admit that I have met and befriended some really good people as a result of that decision. For that matter, I realize that some of the romantic relationships and the friendships that I have been blessed to experience never would have occurred had one previous relationship or another worked out in the way that I had hoped that it would go. Life would have worked out differently had I never moved away from the coast and it would have worked out differently had one or another cherished relationship worked out in way that I wished that it would have. But I can't pick a friendship that I would choose to forfeit to turn back time and never to have left my coastal home.

With that being said, I miss living on the coast and I miss aspects of that way of life. I miss bodyboarding and swimming in the surf. I miss sitting at a beach access or on a porch and watching the waves. I miss the cliche walks on the beach. I miss the hustle and bustle of a coastal tourist community with all the sights, sounds, and smells (like the delicious wafting aroma of tasty seafood 😋).

Life in this corner of rural America has its positives along with its unique sights, sounds, and smells (not a huge fan of the smell of fertilizer and manure, I must admit). All things considered, I truly believe that I was fortunate to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic and the lawlessness and civil disorder that was witnessed throughout 2020 here in what many might consider flyover country. Things were relatively calm here. But at times I miss life along the ocean and I daydream that I am there. God willing, I will get my fix in the not-too-distant future. And who knows? Perhaps I will someday return to the region or move to another coastal community and live out the rest of my days there. Perhaps I will. Time will tell, I suppose. 🚤⛵️🌊🏖️😎