The past three weeks I’ve been on island time. In a wonderful place where I can ride my bike to yoga, get a great cup on local coffee next door at one of my favorite places (where awesome thrift/artsy store meets quality food), then head straight over to the beach for a dip. Followed by meeting up with my kids and family, pool time, dinner (literarily) on the beach then jump on my paddle board for an sunset ride. All on pristine, white sandy beaches and in clear water where I’ve spotted sea turtles, sand dollars, starfish and a manatee. Others saw hammerhead sharks but I avoided getting a view of that!
I have family in the area with cousins and a total for five kids. I had a Georgia aunt and uncle visit for a week, bringing another kid cousin. My brother/sister-in-law and niece visited from Colorado for a week, my husband’s parents came and my parents were here for nearly two weeks staying at my grandmother’s house. So when I say meeting up with family – I really mean meeting up with family.
I grew up visiting the beaches in this area. I’ve always loved the beach and have been spoiled by the Gulf of Mexico’s white sandy beaches and clear water.
It’s easy for me to say I’m the most happy around water, in the ocean and in places where time passes freely. Not bound by my car, schedules, or anything other than meeting the basic needs of my girls and finding peace in where we are at right now in life. 
When I say peace, I mean in a deep found way where everyone can be happy, in simple ways, and be okay with where we are right now. Which is something difficult to do in our fast paced lives where we expect so much, so soon, so perfectly. And where we try to handcraft our desires, mapping our family’s destination when we indeed are not the map makers of our own destiny. Instead, I’m trying to settle into today and accept things around us that we can not change. It’s not easy and it doesn’t always make me happy.
Being on island time is perfect for me right now. Full of whimsy to discover, ponder and store away for later. Like…this little garden I stumbled upon riding my bike, the “internet cafe” at the local coffee shop (because who does that anymore?) and bike hanging all the wall that gave me ALL kinds of ideas.
There’s time to ponder and to find places like this beach access accessible only by bike or by foot, with narrow tree covered path barely visible from the road.
The part of Anna Maria Island where we are is so stuck in the time, there is no mail service here. The city is against commercialization so you won’t find a Starbucks or any familiar names. Everything is local. There is not even a cell tower. So cell reception is very spotty. I have to stand in one place in the driveway to use my phone. I love this! It makes “working from vacation” a little hard for my husband but he IS making it work.
The “closed” sign means he is working and we can’t disturb him.
Morning working for him has meant yoga classes for me. It’s a great little space above a street side shop. So much about it reminds me to look at things from new angles.
Evenings mean wine on the beach watching the sunset, sometimes wearing my t-shirt that says “out of service.” Because honestly, I have felt myself out of service for quite some time. As I float through the sea of emotions surrounding moving on from baby days, toddlers, miscarriages, debilting illnesses with family members, tricky relationships and so much more. Really, when did life get so messy?
When I got this dreamy idea in February of spending a month at the beach, on an island, I wasn’t sure if my husband would be along for the ride. But he has made it work – quite literally. We’ll be going home soon and I REALLY do not want to leave this place. I’d love to come up with a way to live, work and play here all the time.
But the girls are ready to return to normal life, with good friends and their pets. I already received the first back to school prep email, and our baby chicks should be arriving via the mail next week – yes, the mail!
So for now, I’m soaking up every chance to pop down the street to the beach, hope on my bike and go to yoga and just be free. Because this is how I feel totally content. And with all that life throws at us, I have not felt this content in a very long time.
On island time…Where a jewelry maker’s store hours are posted on a hand made sign listed as 10ish to 5ish (depending on the weather I suppose), another shop doesn’t allow any cell phones in the store (if you can get any service), the marina keeps a laminated sign handy to post when the owner decides to take the afternoon off for fishing, and the school bus stops are located on beach access walkways. Not to mention the great art galleries, the bakery, and children’s theater show we attended at the island’s historic theater around the corner from our home away from home.
Being on island time means we play go fish with margaritas and locally written mermaid books, walk home on the beach after dinner, play endless games of Life, take night swims in the pool, play in the sand in big ways (I love how as the girls get bigger so do the sand buckets), change clothes and swim suits A LOT of times in a day, and make surprise trips to the General Store for ice cream. All while there has been nary a request to watch TV.
My insightful daughter asked me tonight how I can take things away from the beach that I love and have them at home. It’s a question I have asked myself too…maybe throwing my paddle board on the van more and discovering new places. Maybe finally making the three mile bike trek to our own down town (it’s different when you have hills). I’m not sure…But none of it can be this beautiful.
Oh and….the 50 year-old surf shop building and apartments above it is for sale. And a girl can keep dreaming…..Can you tell I really don’t want to leave?
