Hilton Head, South Carolina

I’ve been in Hilton Head for a week. Today is my last day. I used to journal all the time here on Posted Note and because of Facebook I got out of the habit, but I’d like to start up again if only so that I can look back and see where I was at in my life at that time and hopefully, years down the road, I can see that I have made progress from that point.

I’m currently self-employed. This summer I’ve already been to Big Cedar Lodge in Lampe, Mo and Kansas City, MO. In Missouri we visited a museum, but now I can’t remember the name of it – another reason to keep a journal.

I knew that this trip to the beach was coming with a full 6 months warning beforehand. I tried really hard to lose a few pounds before I got to the beach, but I only managed to stay exactly the same weight plus or minus a few pounds. I only put this information in here because one day I hope to look back on this as an educational milestone in my life. In order to get from point A to point B, you have to start moving and along the way you learn things – I hope that I learn how to eat in a way that makes me feel like I’m not being cheated and keeps me healthy.

This year I’ve lived with the most pain I’ve ever had to live with. My feet hurt pretty much all of the time now because of heel spurs. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to get into a good stretching routine to curb this problem, but I just get busy and forget. In the morning the pain reminds me, brutally. It feels as if little gnomes have been digging with pick axes in my heels during the night and each step on the way to the bathroom is grueling. But then throughout the day the pain diminishes and I forget until the next morning. Heel and joint pain are a problem because it keeps me from being able to be as active as I’d like to be. Being active would allow me to enjoy the foods I want and still stay fit, but, since I can’t be as active as I’d like to be then I need to learn to be content with less. But I’m rarely content with less. I’m all about MORE!

Vacations are always bittersweet for me. I have a blast, but they are exhausting. Being self-employed makes you feel like you should always be working or else you are losing money. I don’t mind the tether, it’s much better than the alternative, but it takes time to adjust. I’m still learning the ropes of being self-employed. I’m still learning time management.

This trip to Hilton Head has taught me some things…

I have great friends who care for me deeply. The Bruner’s always go above and beyond for me and that is humbling. Few people have friends that are this awesome and I don’t just have the Bruner’s but God has blessed me with so many individuals that love me deeply. So much so that I’m ashamed whenever I feel the slightest bit unhappy with my life – I have nothing to be unhappy about. My life is rich with everything I could desire and God has me right where he wants me.

I’ve also learned that I love the beach, but just because I’m brown doesn’t mean that I don’t need to wear sunblock. My head got a sunburn on the top and when you have no hair you can get skin cancer on the top of your head and so I want to be mindful of that.

The beach is fun, but it would be more fun with a group of people who wanted to play Ultimate Frisbee or something non-stop. I find that I’m selfish and I don’t want to play catch with the kids because I get tired of chasing down the frisbee. It’s hard being a single adult that is used to playing games with adults. Having to play at a kid level takes some adjusting.

Spending time with the people I care about is probably the most important thing in my life. Location doesn’t really matter. Yes, it is nice to be at a beautiful resort, but when you are with fun people you can be anywhere and still have fun. This trip has been fun because of the great people I’m with.

That’s all for today.