Remembering

Today the combination of memories and present day were absolutely overwhelming.  When I lived here 20 years ago I was a silly, young college student, more interested in experiencing my new found freedom than studying.  I came to college here because of the beach and this weekend I got to stay in one of those gorgeous homes that I’d always looked at longingly.  I’d never ever thought that I would lounge on the deck of one let alone sleep in one, sung to sleep by the rain and the waves.

This morning I walked to Shell Island from Asheville Street.  I recognized homes and hotels and I think even trees from the past.  I remember where the ‘house with the hole in it’ sat and I was excited to see that the dunes at Shell Island were on the mend.  I passed the streets were I used to park to go to the beach; Henderson and Oxford.  Later on I walked down Lumina to pick up some dinner and  I made sure that I would have time to walk to the beach from the access at Causeway Drive. The wind was blowing and the waves were enormous.  They were gorgeous but choppy from the wind.  They did not look good enough for the surfer that was coming in from the water’s edge – once again, conjuring more memories of boys with surfboards coming in from the waves (they actually still look the same).  I picked up my dinner and headed back to the house.  I passed Red Dog’s.  It was a favorite haunt where I met Michael Jordan on a ‘drink till you pee’ night.  Sweetwater Surf shop was in the group of shops next to Robert’s Grocery and King Neptune’s was still across the street.

All these places brought up so many memories and the best part was they all made me smile.  They didn’t make me wince.  There are things I would do differently (like I said in my last post) but today I wasn’t thinking about those things.  I smiled at the person I was, the joy that I had, the carefree nature that was there at the time.  I could almost see that girl I was in a filmy sundress walking down the street, soaking up the perfect weather that happened right before the sticky summer started.  Her hair is long and wavy and tossed by the windy day.  She might be somebody that I used to know but she will always be somebody that I like to remember.