Here's the story of Year 1 of Island Living!
When I arrived at the beach last August, I was numb. I was slowly recuperating from a five year personal and career crisis due to illness, grief, financial & legal issues and hopelessness. Moving to the beach was not my first choice. My original intent for having a beach house was to have a vacation place where I could walk out my dreams of being an artist and teaching craft workshops in the summer to pay for this lifestyle. Due to unforeseen circumstances when I sold my main home I began a journey of rebuilding a life. I relocated from the Wash DC area to the Chicago suburbs. The beach kept calling but I ignored it. I left Chicago after a few months and temporarily moved to Durham, NC to get healthy and heal. It was close to the beach, but I still wasn't healthy enough to get to the cottage that I had purchased two years earlier. During this year I made a trip to Asheville, NC to participate in a training seminar. My soul-sister friend who also lived at the beach attended this seminar with me. I was using a walker and still not getting around well. I felt shame at my physical condition but I was determined to participate in putting myself out there in the business world again. I met a group of wonderfully supportive women entrepreneurs who I began to connect with on social media. This gave me the mental and physical energy to go checkout my beach cottage.
I felt that I had to make a decision whether I was going to keep the cottage or let it go. When I got to the beach that Memorial Day I reconnected with old friends and acquaintances. This led to new introductions and my old goal of teaching crafts in the summer were realized. I came back in July to set up a craft camp for vacationers at a local real estate company. I planned on making my final decision at the end of the summer. We had a hurricane in July which brought out all of my fears of being ill and unable to physically handle any emergencies that might arise living out on a sand bar in the middle of the Atlantic. Instead, I met my new neighbors, connected with the community and had a great summer. I still had a grey cloud hanging over my head which was pulling on my energy, (long-standing legal issues and my illnesses). But, I was getting stronger everyday physically, spiritually and emotionally. I was just getting ready to establish a more permanent residence in Durham when I was notified that my landlord wanted to sell the house I was renting there. I was upset for a minute and didn't know what to do. So, I 'Let Go and Let God! I packed up once again for the 3rd time in a year and a half and moved to my beach cottage. Enrolled my youngest in school, waved good bye to my son as he embarked on his own adventure and settled in. My intent was to focus on getting healthy and putting myself on a fast track to wellness. Then market myself to local businesses as a creative arts educator and business coach.
My daughter made friends immediately at her new school and began participating in school activities. (Ok, check! Happy teenager) She came home one day and said that her friend's mother owned a gallery and was looking for a knitting teacher. She urged (nagged) me to call her. I was hesitant because I was still recovering, still needed a walker and not sure I could follow through because of my health issues. I set up an appointment with Jennifer Johnson, owner/artist of Blue Pelican Gallery Gifts & Yarn.
The rest is herstory! If you've been following me on social media and my blog you will know that I have had a Great day everyday since I decided to listen to my inner wise voice and 'Let Go and Let God!' My Beach Dreams have been manifesting themselves one-day-at-a-time. I am so very grateful to my new community of friends, family and neighbors. Thank you for your encouragement and support during this transformative year. I'm looking forward to seeing what miracles this next year presents. Peace!
Click on link to watch year video of workshops:
http://animoto.com/play/kmdQkuH0VAfnygdy3xE0AQ
