Since B.C. (before Catherine) as is described by those in my family, my parents have gone to the same beach in North Carolina. My parents finally built a house while I was in high school and it has honestly been the best investment for them yet. Both my parents and I have a lot of friends down there; not to mention my dad is one of eight so we have a ton of family down throughout the year. My mother's family is from the Bahamas so the beautiful blue water and sand has been ingrained (no pun intended) in us for a long time. A coastal mindset is what my mom grew up with and she saw a need for me to reap the benefits of beach life too. During the summers, she encouraged me to enjoy every bit of it at the beach, taking in the salt, sand, and sun. Living at the coast sure does teach you some life lessons and skills but also creates memories. If you work hard throughout the year, why not live it up during the summer in the place where everyone wants to be?
The summer after my freshman year of college, I packed up and moved to my family's home at the beach. I lived by myself for the most part; at times family would come down or a plethora of friends, but I liked living alone. I liked the peace and serenity of just being able to walk outside and there the sand was under my toes and the water was my backyard. While I am a girl who loves my Chanel bags and high heels, I will gladly sleep in my swimsuit just to be able to hop out of bed in the morning to go for a swim in my backyard. Living at the coast surely made me appreciate the little things in life that are fun and worthwhile. I know 50 years from now I will look back fondly on being able to live in a swimsuit for weeks on end, and do anything at a moments notice because, after all, that is being on beach time. So pack up and move down if you have the chance during the summer, you won't regret it!
1. You will learn a lot about yourself – Living at the beach you'll meet a ton of people, your friends will visit and you'll have some parties, but during the times when you are alone, you will have a lot of time to think and figure out who you are as a person and perhaps come to enjoy your own company.
2. You will learn responsibility – Whether you live by yourself or share an apartment/house/beach shack, you'll learn how to take care of yourself from cleaning to cooking to just plain taking care of yourself.
3. You will have an appreciation for the simpler things in life – Obviously the NC coast or most beaches for that matter aren't that glamorous, but you'll learn to appreciate the simple life. Throw on a swimsuit and spend a day at the beach or on a boat, you will have fun and life will be simple and relaxed.
4. You will learn new skills – Some of my newest talents and pastime hobbies now include flounder gigging, crabbing/shrimping. Not normally one to throw on waders? Well put some on because as simple and disgusting as those things sound, they are a wicked good time!
5. Working will take on a new meaning – When working at the beach, you'll find it fun to actually go into work, because you will be at the beach, making money and enjoying the scenery around you.
6. When it comes time for you to leave at the end of summer, you will not want to – You will appreciate the friends and countless memories you made. You will reminisce on the absolute ragers you threw, the beach days you had and the simplicity of the coast. You will wish summer didn't have to end – but you'll appreciate the time you had.
