Living Happily
Graduate college, work for 40+ years, retire, move somewhere you have always wanted to live. This seems to be the formula for many people in America. Although there is nothing necessarily wrong with this habit, the idea does not sit well with me. Ever since I was little, I have been attracted to the sand, waves, boardwalk, and everything in between. Every year I spend a week at the beach, and spend every single day on the beach. I eat on the beach, sleep on the beach, go in the water, and just gaze at the mystical water. Why do I want to wait until I am past my prime to truly be happy with where I live?
My grandparents recently moved down to Rehoboth, Delaware after living in New Jersey for 44 years. Now, they live on the brink of the ocean, finally ending up where they have wanted to be their whole entire life, only now, my grandmother can't stay outside for too long due skin conditions, and my grandfather is a 76 year old man who gets winded easily. Although it is great that they love where they are, I do not want to wait until I am shriveled and old to live where I have wanted to live forever. This is why I am striving for a job that I can do at home, therefore the choice of where to live is completely up to me. I can spend my whole life living near the ocean, being excited of all the different places and opportunities around me in this unique environment.
The reason I love the beach this much is all due to nostalgia. My parents owned a condo that was a three minute walk to the ocean and boardwalk. This was located in Ocean City Maryland. For nine years, this was my summer vacation. This was associated so much with my family that my parents got married here in 2007. I know the boardwalk like the back of my hand. I have favorite restaurants, shops, and rides. There are just a multitude of memories with my family, as well as such a calming and laid back environment, that helped me developed my love for the ocean.
In regards to where I would like to live, I would have to say Rehoboth Beach. Although I love Ocean City Maryland, this is a very popular vacation home. There are very few local residents. However, there are a lot of neighborhoods with nice houses right outside of the boardwalk in Rehoboth. I think this would be a great place to live because it is the best of both worlds. There are neighborhoods where you aren't bombarded with tourists and vacationers, but you also have the choice to visit the certain tourist places such as the boardwalk or the beach.
Overall, I think it would be a waste of a life to stay located in a place where it may not meet your emotional needs. Pennsylvania weather is not for all, and is certainly not for me. One of my goals is to live down by the shore by the time I am 25, and then hopefully live a long and peaceful like in my forever happy place.
My favorite sunset picture I have ever taken
Thinking about what to do with your life after highschool is always pretty scary. Whenever family comes to visit, they always bombard me with questions of what I want to do after graduation, and I usually don't know what to say. I think it's due to the pressure put on us to be perfect rather than happy. Like you said, I think living at the beach would be the best of both worlds for you. You can be where you love and with those you love. That's the part I still need to figure out- how to be happy with what I do and where I chose to live. The sunset in the picture is beautiful by the way.
ReplyDeleteYou make such a good point about not waiting until retirement to do what you really want. Some writing feedback: it might have been more cohesive if you'd stuck to that thought, rather than transitioning to talking about your nostalgia for Rehoboth. (just something to think about as a rhetorical choice)
ReplyDeleteI think it is so awesome that your grandparents live in Delaware, and it's great that you want to live there too! Rehoboth actually used to be my family's yearly vacation spot, and although we only stayed for a couple days, it was always such an awesome vacation. You are absolutely correct that you should choose the life you want to live, and I agree that a lot of that potential happiness comes from living somewhere that makes you happy.
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