My solo adventure continues…I last posted the end of February. My travels had taken me to Vermont, Beacon Hill in Boston and Cape Cod. I left Cape Cod on February 24th to start my drive south, stopping in Avon-by-the-Sea on the Jersey shore to visit my college friend Doug and his parents, a great visit.
I then drove to St Simons Island Georgia, an hour north of the Florida border. I was lucky enough to spend the month of March at my friend Sara’s vacation home.
Jekyll Island is a short drive from St. Simons, I spent a couple of days exploring this cool island. This photo was taken at Driftwood beach.
On April 1st I drove 5 hours to the airport in Sarasota Florida where I picked my mom up for our 8th annual trip to Anna Maria Island, 30 minutes from the Sarasota.
Over the past 12 weeks I biked all around St Simons Island and Anna Maria Island, kayaked, walked beaches, explored my new surroundings, attended six different church services, visited six libraries, read eight fiction books and two books on finding your second career. I watched the first season of Grace and Frankie on Netflix and two seasons of Transparent on Amazon Prime (both great shows) and ate numerous tasty meals at many different restaurants. I’ve continued to do physical therapy for my two new knees (full knee replacements on 2/13/15 and 5/26/15), I’ve continued to journal and meditate, and have done a lot of thinking…thinking about the first 52 years of my life and thinking about what’s next, what do I want to experience and accomplish in the 2nd half of my life.
It’s been amazing to have this time alone without any responsibilities or expectations from others. I’ve been able to get away from any anxiety/pressure of day-to-day life and see who I am without all of that. I’ve dug deep, shed tears, smiled, laughed and learned.
Here are my takeaways and mantras so far, gained from a weekend retreat I attended on Cape Cod, books, guided meditations, podcasts and conversations with folks along the way:
Complacency, deferring to others, and comparing myself to others will set me back and keep me from moving forward.
Let go of what is outlived in my life to make room for what is unlived – let go of negative beliefs and habits to make time for all I want to do.
Recognize that fear of change is very strong in our culture.
My faith and spirituality is important to me and I want to nurture it.
Some mantras for going forward:
1. Be as kind and compassionate to myself as I am to others.
2. You cannot change without challenge.
3. Be present. If I am present, the burdens of the past and of the future are released.
I’ve had a wonderful time in Florida and am now heading to Savannah, Georgia for two nights. From there I will drive to Asheville, NC and then will head north towards home. I’m excited for the last leg of my journey.
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