beach baby

Mr. T and I always loved the beach. It was one of the reasons we moved to California, because we wanted to live near the ocean. We spent many afternoons and evenings at the beach in our town, watching the waves or walking along the shore. Mr. T always said I'd never met an ocean I didn't want to put my feet in and he was right.

So I knew I needed to get to the beach to refresh my soul and replenish my spirit but I really didn't want to go by myself the first time. I had never been to the beach by myself in my whole life and I wasn't ready to start.

Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way we plan (tell me about it) and I slowly came to the realization that if I wanted to go to the beach, I was going to have to do it on my own.

So I started to make my plans. First thing I knew I had to have some sort of waterproof pouch to carry my valuables around with me. In the past Mr. T usually stayed on the sand while I played in the water so he could keep an eye on things but now I knew I needed to take everything with me in the water just to be safe.

So I got 2 pouches, a pink and blue, and put them to the test.

Yep that's my pouch submerged in water! I left it there, with a paper towel inside, for an hour and afterwards the paper towel was completely dry. Unbelievable! I knew that meant I could play in the water and my phone, money and car keys wouldn't get wet.
 
Now when Mr. T and I would spend the day at the beach, he would spend the whole night before we left getting things ready. For a 1 day trip (just a few hours, really) he would pack enough for us to be on a 4 week safari. He had snacks and drinks and extra clothes and chairs and umbrella and a cart to get it all there. If we took Charlie, she had her own suitcase full of stuff as well. 

I'm a bit more spontaneous so I decided to take as little as possible, just a mat to sit on and a towel.

The morning came and I got a bit of a late start. To be honest, there was a big part of me that was thinking about backing out. It was too much driving, what if I hated it, etc. But I gave myself a stern talking to and I got in the car and headed out.

I started out pretty well but the GPS wanted to send me on the highway and I wanted to go the back road that Mr. T and I had always taken. I got off at the exit that I thought was right and kept driving even though the GPS kept telling me to make a u-turn. After about 10 minutes, with the GPS getting more and more indignant, I finally had to admit that I'd made a mistake and was going the wrong way. Worst of all, I had to backtrack all the way back to the road I'd exited. How discouraging. I almost gave up and drove home right there.

Just as I was about to change lanes to take the exit back home, I looked over at the Hula Kitty I had just put in the car the night before. Her head was bobbing up and down in the most ridiculous way that it made me laugh right out loud and then suddenly I felt better and decided to push on to the beach.

Even with the unexpected misturn, I still arrived at the beach at a good time...meaning there were still empty spaces in the parking lot. That's the most stressful part of a daytrip to the beach for me, where will I park?

I grabbed my beach mat and my bag and practically ran to the beach, found a great spot and set myself up for a day of fun. It was heaven to be in my happy place, hearing the waves, smelling that salty beach air.

I couldn't wait to run and stick my feet in the waves!

It was everything I hoped it would be, I felt like me for the first time in a very long time. I ran and skipped and kicked and twirled. I also lost my balance and practically fell on my butt because that's who I am too. Whatever.

I went back to sit on my mat and soak in the sunshine and then it hit me...I was hungry. If Mr. T had been there, there would have been an assortment of sandwiches and chips and cold drinks and probably even dessert. Well crap, since I was Miss Spontaneity there was nothing. Double crap.

There was nothing else to do but trudge down the beach and across the street to Wendy's for a chicken sandwich and a nice big cold drink. Then trudge back to my mat. Lesson learned, next time I'll take a page out of Mr. T's book and bring a sandwich and some drinks.He was right, I was wrong, blah blah blah.

After a few hours of sun and surf, it was time to drive back home. My phone(GPS) died on me less than 30 minutes into the drive but that was ok, I knew the way now and made it home easily.

I'm so glad I went and I enjoyed it so much I plan on going back often throughout the spring and summer. I'd go every weekend if I could but I do have obligations so maybe every other weekend.

Do I wish things were different and that Mr. T and I could be there together? Hell yes. It's making me cry right now just thinking about the fact that we'll never go to the beach together again. But I'm glad to know that I can still enjoy it, just in a different way.

Is it lonely? Yes and no. I still think it would be more fun with a group of people but it's good to know that going solo can still be fun and it's not overwhelming. I feel like myself at the beach. I feel like the free spirit that I long to be.