Once Was.

On the edge of the worn dock she let her toes glide along the glass-like water causing it to swirl and dance under her touch. Quietly she let the printed five digit number stare back at her. With a flip of her hair, she scoffed at the outrageous amount of money that preceded her name. A mere week before she would have let tears shed at the sight of this account, but now she smiles in ridicule of the big name bank. She stumbled upon the chance of a life time while visiting the beautiful Outer Banks.

An agent who once had slicked hair and a dapper wardrobe, resided in the quiet area where she came to relax and recharge. He was a man of great power at one time, power that masked something of a benevolent weasel. For awhile he was content with his slimy uprising in the book market. He hid his digust for himself with the piles of money he squandered from aspiring writers. One day he woke with his guilt gnawing at his conscience, finally breaking through the nasty exterior to a softer side that was lined with honesty. His overwhelming internal  up-rise caused him to up and run to the Atlantic coast to uproot the man he has buried deep inside.

He walked the waters edge every morning to revel in the simplicity of the calming ocean waves. He never seemed to notice the tourists who have unfortunately felt the sun's wrath, but today one caught his eye. She was young, early twenties, with sunkissed hair and a bronze tone all over her skin. Sitting in the sand, she pounded the keys of a keyboard that preceded her about three decades. Aged and rusted here and there, the typewriter methodically printed what came from the kaleidoscope of colors in her mind. Curiosity pushed him to her side.

They spoke casually about the work she had just ground out. Politely he inquired to see the masterpiece she had created. Even with his past, he had an eye for good writing. What his eyes came across now was something of pure excellence. With continued conversation he offered her a deal.

He knew he wanted to get back into the world of writing, but in a way that is accepted by society's standards. She knew she wanted to get into the same world but she lacked the inside know how that he possesed. With her God given talent and his connections they  could make each other's aspirations a reality.

So now on the worn dock, some short months after their meeting, she was proudly able to let New York Times Best-selling Author embellish her now impressive resume. She let the salt air sweep through her hair causing it to tickle the edges of her sun kissed face. Reminiscing on what her life was before she began to remember how her life once was.

Just Wait

She persistently articulated to herself that the fever she had would go away with the help of time. She reached into her memory only to find that even at a young age she had the urge to become coastal. Now at almost twenty years of age she still held the burning desire to just up and run. Nothing was here to appease her raw talent. The thought of the waves crashing along the shore always seemed to creep their way up into her thoughts. Sun and sand decided to haunt her daydreams while the salty air always seemed to find its way to tickle her nostrils. These beautifully created daydreams always seemed to call to her when she was in her most vulnerable state. Her free spirit was something that was hard for her to keep quiet, more so when the stresses of everyday life seemed to sink their claws in. Stress and worry would come at her from all directions, only letting her take one step up and then knocking her back eight. Some excruciatingly painful days would cause her heart to break and crack only to be bandaged with smooth swallows of coconut spiced rum. Along with the help of the island accented music of Kenny Chesney, she was able to keep her desire at bay. Although there certainly were times when she felt the salt water course through her veins giving her the restless urgency to just run to the salty Atlantic shore that  beckoned to her. She knew she would run to the white sand, but only when she knew she would have enough funds to enjoy it most. She constantly gazed in the mirror reassuring herself that she will get to her oasis sooner than later. She would let a single tear pour over the rim of her reddened eyelids and in an inaudible shaky voice she cracked, "Just wait."

"Vessels of Freedom, Harbors of Healing. Boats"

Blissfully she sat at the edge of the bow letting the sun's rays penetrate her skin. She reveled in the warmth moving her head from side to side making sure it  hit every inch. Her well tanned skin and the Atlantic sun have agreed on terms since they have come in contact for a few years now. Although sometimes the sun will break contract letting the sting of summer settle just at the top of her round cheeks and accenting the crest of her nose. Stinging cheeks and a tourist-like nose didn't put a damper to her gentle rocking as the waves contacted the porcelain like sides of the boat. They were always trying their hardest to reach the hand-painted words that read, "The Salt Life Writer." Reminiscing on the day she proudly painted those words, she couldn't help but crack a vibrant smile. So much success beamed from the simplicity of those four words  She began to believe that her sea legs have become a permanent asset to her body. She watched for the past years as many seconds, minutes, hours, and days seemed to fly by right in front of her ocean blue eyes while residing on this vessel. Memories of competitive fishing among friends, many island drinks sloshed here and there on well used deck, and even the more professional use of the office-like space that accompanied a hammock for a desk chair and a typewriter for the equipment, ran through her mind causing a whirlwind of simplistic happiness to overcome her body. An investment some people called it, she referred to it as a way of life. Well-needed naps, cleansing, healing moments that soothed the soul, moments filled with laughter and love among friends and family, and the bringing together of man and sea were embedded into the core of this boat. This boat acted as if its genetic makeup wouldn't allow for anything else but blissful simplicity and some salty tears to be shed. Blessed was a word she used often when boasting about her floating vessel. Life on a boat was something to be cherished and hopefully never forgotten.

Tanatalizing Waves

Rushing and pounding the shore with a tantalizing orchestra of crashing.  Enough to calm the storm inside and relinquish the fury that has been bottled. Giving direction to the ships and taking direction from the man in the moon. Waves. Waves can deliver the chill down each individual vertebrae composing your spine. They deliver the ocean-made shells to the shore for all the locals and tourist to revel in discovering. Waves, as powerful as God himself and yet as gentle as a small infant. These tantalizing works of nature can take your breath right from your lungs in amazement of their natural beauty. You'll never experience anything like an ocean derived wave. Salt kissed from the heavens above, they can bring your soul at peace in an instant. Waves are something that tickle the fancy of each of the five senses giving the ultimate experience of euphoria. Let waves take you to a place of bliss and never look back.

Words

Have you ever contemplated the complexity of a word? Sure they are just a conglomeration of letters and symbols smashed together, but have you ever sat back and realized the impact just one word can have? Words can be so powerful and moving and yet they can flip their switch be destructive and implosive all in the same breath. They can be the devastating difference between obtaining a dream career and getting thrown to the ever-feared rejection pile. Words are both powerful when said and when kept in. You'll never know the power words unsaid can have until they haunt you later in life. Words will describe our deepest aspirations with just a wisp of ink or the simple pound of a key. You may believe that a word is just that, a word. I believe that they are the way of showing an emotion when you are too afraid to let it shine through. I believe they can make you the person you have always seen yourself as. They can bring laughter to your lungs and then deliver a tear to your eye by just being composed in different manners. Words compose some of the well-played songs that stream though our speakers.  They can relinquish some of the most buried emotions you didn't even fathom coursing through your veins. Emotions that can lift you to the sky soaring with pride and determination and even the emotions that pull us to the rock-bottom we never knew we had. Words are just more than words, they are a foundation that lays out every fiber of our being.

Time

We live  in a world where time is always pushed past its breaking point. Time gets requested to stop, go faster, and slow down. We make all these requests, but do we ever ask time what it would like from us? I think that time would just like to be blissfully enjoyed, not pushed, squandered, or held back. Time is precious, and believe me it knows that. Yes it is important to utilize every waking second time offers us, but it also important to sit back, relax, and reminisce on the moments time has given us. Yes it knows that there are times that you just can't seem to sit still with exhilarated anticipation, but just enjoy the feeling of waiting on time to hurry up. I honestly believe that if time could speak, it would tell us to not waste it, but also truly bask in it. I feel time would tell us slow down and enjoy the moment we are currently residing in. It would remind us to be thankful for the opportunity God has given us to enjoy it's pure beauty. And it would advise you to fill it with friends, family, and love. Remind yourself everyday that when you look back on this moment will you be happy with the way you spent your time? Hopefully you enjoy time and you believe that it truely enjoyed you.

Drive

The subtlety hinted island music of Kenny Chesney streamed through the speakers. A typewriter, a surfboard, and some hurriedly packed necessities were the only thing that accompanied me on this trip. The flicker of a new key chain caught the suns rays, from the open roof, teasing the corner of my eye. I looked down at the barely touched word Jeep, that is embedded in the new leather, proud of the things I have accomplished this past year. I had a lot of things to be proud of, I walked out on my job, I dropped out of college, and I followed my dreams. Now here I am a short year later  with a typewriter and a blog, traveling to all the greatest  beaches along the eastern coast, soon all the coasts. I personally get to test all of them out, with the expertise of salt water in my veins and the waves fueling my spirit, there won't be a beach along this coast I haven't rated.  What ambitious twenty one year old wouldn't want to obtain a career such as this one. Don't get me wrong I was scared, frightened actually. I had never been the person to just up and walk out on my job. I had always been the do-gooder that would finish everything to the end. I picked up the phone with my heart racing, ready to beat out of my chest, dialed my boss's number five minutes before my shift and told her I wasn't taking anymore of her jive and I quit. You should have heard her scream in anstonishment. Did she get angry? No, she was more surprised then anything. So she offered me another job where I could work whenever I wanted, with that I knew I must have been doing something right. With the precious time I had off I followed my gut and began to write. Now here I am in a shiny black Jeep Wrangler, a surfboard, and a typewriter fulfilling all my dreams.

"Wild Child"

  

 

Vibrant colors fill the corners of my mind. Dreams and aspirations fit in between the little crevices the colors have to offer. Freedom makes up every fiber of my being. Salt water runs through my veins and waves fuel my heartbeat. My hair, kissed by the Atlantic sun, lets itself run wild with the breeze tangling it here and there. With the sun as my compass and the wind as my fuel my adventures will always keep my free spirit at ease.