- ?Last year around 11pm at night I decided I needed to see the sunrise in Rhode Island about a 3 1/2 hour drive from my home in NJ. ?
A place where my sister and I vacationed as kids with my parents it is a gorgeous area and very peaceful. She just loved the ocean and felt at peace there. We lost her in 2012 from a diverticulitis infection. She was my only sibling my big sis, 5 years older than me. ?
I hadnt been to Rhode Island in almost 30 years. I was having a rough day and just needed to be close to her. I thought to myself I cant just hop in the car and drive almost 4 hours at 11pm. Nope, I can’t do that.. My 3 kids were at their Dads and I thought about it for 5 mins and then said.. “Well why cant I?” There is really nothing stopping me besides me. So I grabbed my blanket, pillow, toothbrush. (HAHA) filled up the gas tank and hit the road, listening to my jams all the way up. (Music has become my lifeline especially through tough times) I arrived at 2am having no idea where to go.. SO I pulled into the local Walmart.. Because why not?!? Oh and it turns out I forgot toothpaste.. (Super important when traveling in the middle of the night to nowhere!)
Back in the car I went and traveled to the Charlestown Beach which has a long rock jetty that she liked to sit on and think about life. ? When I pulled up I found it wasnt opening until 8am. Which would be well after sunrise and I needed to see the sun rise over the ocean.. Because I didnt just drive all the way to miss it!! I headed out to the other beaches to find early access! Finally by 3am I found Misquamicut Beach with a large open parking lot, locked the car of course, and closed my eyes for a few hours. The picture above is my sunrise! ?
There is nothing quite like watching a sunrise over the ocean.. The peace you feel confirming that no matter what has happened the day before or years before, when the sun rises its A NEW DAY and a new chance!! ?
I spent the rest of that day touring my childhood. I went back to the Charlestown Beach where I sat on that rock jetty overlooking the ocean. Received a nice sunburn (not ideal) on the sand and just floating aimlessly alone over the waves. I Enjoyed a lunch at a fish shack eating really yummy clam cakes. Drove up to Naragansett Beach snapped some pictures and finished off the day in Watch Hill. Where the oldest Brass Ring Carousel is still in operation, taking pictures of some of the boats at sunset. Finally driving back home and in my bed at 11pm. And WOW That was a pretty fufilling 24 hours! I have to say I felt a little like Forrest Gump..
We all have the ability to make choices each day, to do better, to be better, to heal, and to make amends with ourselves and life. And when you tell yourself “I cant do that..”. Well guess what, you can! From these writings and doing little things like driving to Rhode Island in the middle of the night with no plan Ive taught myself that I can. Sometimes the smallest steps are the biggest steps in life’s lessons. Life is very short.. dont take it for granted. Believe in yourself, be you, be uniquely you!! ?