Flying Solo ~ Part IV
“Someday Isle is not a dream vacation spot. It is an imaginary destination to which you will never arrive. It is the carrot on the stick perpetually in front of you. So close you can see it, yet you will never reach it. Don’t vacation on Someday Isle.” — Frank F. Lunn
I was actually doing this! Going on a vacation, all by myself! I really couldn’t believe it. I know, for some of you this sounds ridiculous. Oooohhh…4 days in North Carolina…big deal. For me, it was a HUGE deal.
My original plan was to read and lay on the beach the entire time, literally. I wasn’t even going to rent a car. But, it turned out to be cheaper to rent a car than it would be to take a taxi to and from the airport. Plus, the car had a GPS system so I wouldn’t get lost. I brought about 20 books with me. Seriously. I read fast and even with the rental car, I still planned on doing virtually nothing else but read on the beach.
Once I got there, though, I realized I wanted a little more adventure than that. Again, for many of you, nothing I did would constitute an adventure. But for me, the whole thing was an adventure. I went wandering around Carolina Beach on foot and in the car. I went shopping, I met some very nice people. I kept hearing about a restaurant with award winning clam chowder so I went there, even though I don’t even like clam chowder. The manager sat down and chatted with me for a while. The clam chowder was excellent! I went to a local art gallery and found the perfect picture of the beach, ordered a frame, and had it shipped home. That picture is prominently displayed in my living room. Everytime I walk in there I look at it and smile, remembering my amazing trip.
I set out in the car and just drove, stopping anywhere that looked interesting, knowing the GPS would lead me right back to the hotel. I walked downtown Wilmington twice. It is quaint, historic, interesting and fun. Cape Fear is no ocean but it is still beautiful. I found some adorable local shops, another great art gallery, and even discovered some local musical talent.
And yes, I did lay on the beach and read. I read a lot, but nowhere near 20 books. I soaked in my hot tub. I ordered room service. I walked on the beach. I was even a little naughty and ordered bad porn one night in the hotel (oh, come on, you would have too!).
It was, BY FAR, the best Mother’s Day I had ever had. I hope to make it an annual tradition. I want to go somewhere by myself every Mother’s Day weekend. No more obligatory brunches, hostessing family, or anything else that I SHOULD do! I now know exactly what I want to do on Mother’s Day, hubby is behind me 100%, so provided that we can afford it, I will be out of here again in May!
Sunrise over Carolina Beach
Cape Fear
The view from my room
Downtown Wilmington
Yep, you have to learn to take time out for yourself. I remind my parents of this importance often. Sometimes doing a little does a lot for the spirit, and you can still accomplish a lot while allowing the body and mind to slow down. Well done.
PS – sorry, but my blog kicked yours out of rotation on alphainventions.com. I was trying to kick out the one selling thesis answers to desperate students, but appear to have missed the mark. Sorry So Much More Than a Mom.
hope you find what you are looking for
Good for you! I wish my mother had had the chance to do things like that. She spent her life raising 11 children and then was robbed of her retirement years by Alzheimers. She passed away on Thanksgiving day 2000. I’m really glad your husband is supportive – you go girl.
Oooh! What a great Mother’s Day. And Carolina beaches are a wonderful choice. We’ve been to Carolina, Kure, and of course Myrtle Beach. And Wilmington is such a neat little town.
I’ve been wanting to spend a long weekend at Nags Head, but business hasn’t been good enough to allow a getaway.
When I can afford it, my ideal solo vacation is a cruise. Yes, I know Anthony Bourdain would retch at the thought, but it’s the safest and most inexpensive way a woman can travel to exotic places alone — AND be waited on hand and foot.
How funny you ended up on the coast of NC! That’s where I was raised (for 18 years) and my parents still live there – in Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks! You were a little more south, but hey – still the same ocean!
Hey, we don’t all have the Travel Channel budget like he does.
Do they have an oceanfront condo they’d like to rent out for a long weekend??