Greetings humans of the internet.

It’s been a quick minute since I’ve written a blog post, being that the world is chaos, writing a blog post feels a little goopy sometimes. (Are those even words that make sense together?) I’ve traveled some during this whole pandemic, but mostly stayed put. I thought a post about what it was like during my last traveling adventure would be an interesting topic. I would like to add, I did follow safety precautions and wore a mask while traveling.

After a stressful event(s), coupled with being cooped up in one location for way longer than I am used to, I thought it would be my signature move to hop off on a weekend road trip to an intuitively picked location. (also could be argued that it was a triggered manic episode and an impulsive decision, but that’s a different blog post). My randomly picked destination was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I really just convinced myself I needed to visit with the ocean.

I drove 13.5 hours overnight to Myrtle Beach with my dog, which sounds insane, and probably was, but a semi healthy coping mechanism for me. I love driving, it’s almost meditative to me…and gets me out of my head.

The sun started to rise when I was entering West Virginia. And guys, seeing the mountains and feeling the foggy fresh humid morning air was something that brought a little life back into my soul. It’s like being in one place for so long, I forgot what experience different regions of the world are like. Not to mention, hearing a real-life southern accent for the first time in almost a year, was almost comforting. I was raised in Alabama, so even though I have some strong resentment for the south, I have a love for it too.

I arrived in the early afternoon, found some lunch and looked for a place to stay, because I was EXHAUSTED (self-induced exhaustion that is) . Not shocking, hotels were extremely cheap, I think it may have to do with a global pandemic haha. I crashed for a few hours and woke up just in time to do a virtual yoga class online, because even if I am having a mental breakdown and being impulsive, I still try to show up to my mat.

After, I thought it would be nice to take my lovely pup and I for a late night stroll on the beach. It was so incredibly relaxing. The star lit night sky, the moon, the ocean. Ahhh, It was what my soul needed. Delilah, the pup I refer too, also enjoyed herself. Chasing the waves and forcing us to make friends with strangers. Which I might add, is my favorite part of my travels. My guilty pleasure was capping off the night by waiting in a drive-thru line for 35 minutes to enjoy Zaxbys, my favorite fast food restaurant that I hadn’t had in so long because it’s only available in the more Southern regions of the country.

The next day, I did some much needed beach lounging. I got there super early, just to see the sunrise, but the cloudy morning said otherwise. I spent some time jumping into the Atlantic Ocean, walking the shoreline, and just enjoying my surroundings and being in a different place. It was the most normal I had felt in so long, because no one was in a mask and the beach is a place that I feel is normal to naturally socially be distant at regardless of it being a safety precaution. It was incredible.

By lunch time, I was feeling like I was running away from my problems and decided not to stay another night. So, I showered and packed up and headed back. I impulsively made a stop on my way back at a local peach stand, where I met the sweetest lady. It reminded me of how we’re all connected in some way or another, even strangers. I set off with way too many peaches for a friend and took my journey back.

I tried not to rush back, and enjoy the drive, knowing I had time. However, I was determined to drive all night and the next day, sleep deprived me, had a mini melt down, but it’s fine. It was worth it.

I know this isn’t everyones idea of traveling and may sound insane. But it’s how I travel. Some of it influenced by how my brain works, some of it I like to call me being a free-spirit. It’s what my soul needed and I am so grateful that I get to be this bold. I needed to see the ocean, I needed to get away for a few days. I needed to exhaust myself to the point of letting a manic episode work itself out. I share my trip details because I think the idea of traveling is easily glamorized. I’ve had my people tell me how lucky I am to just be able to go. But it’s exhausting and lonely and weird, but much needed for some of us.

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