Awesome Expectations

I had a really cool realization this evening after an experience on the beach. I have fun, interesting, new rendezvous every time I go out. The same way I have the expectation of meeting friendly people everywhere, I have the expectation of these exciting experiences. I adore the variety, diversity and range of them. I love the brief conversations or moments with animals or whatever it may be. This week alone, I’ve had several and it has me wanting to venture out even more often because it is so fun and satisfying. I love time and physical space to myself and I love connecting with others. I love being awake and I love being asleep. The ebb and flow and ease of it all is enjoyable. 

That said, here are some of the examples of these rendezvous of late. 

I was driving an EZ Go (that doesn’t have a windshield) and a butterfly came right at me. I ducked so it wouldn’t hit my face and had a good laugh. I love seeing so many butterflies happily fluttering around. 

A different location and butterfly that same day. Kudos if you can spot it there, somewhat central and left. 

Remember that post about my evening beach walk where I said it was an eagle I’d spotted, then corrected it as a hawk? It WAS an eagle. I saw one at the beach again today and got some pictures as it stood eating something it had caught. That was cool because I knew it was an eagle and not a hawk and now know I can be sure there are eagles here, at the beach. 

Eagle, right? It was big! I zoomed in quite a bit so as to keep my distance and leave it be. 

I have had some very nice short conversations with people who have had lovely things to say and have complimented me on some things I’ve been doing. Without getting into the specifics of that, I take a lot of pride in what I do and to have multiple people notice that and comment was incredibly fulfilling. 

I love excellent customer service and people who are kind and professional and that is always nice to meet with. I got some propane the other day when the weather was grey and storms had been passing through and this particular place is one I like returning to because, despite it being a fill station I need to go the “wrong” way into for them to reach my LP fill, they are always friendly and professional plus I can pay via credit card right there and the price is fair. Yeah, some places may be cheaper, I haven’t looked. I like paying for good service and the ease of it being nearby and I’m happy to return to this place. I was told they will not fill if there is lightning as that is considered dangerous for them. Thankfully the rain stopped for the bit of time it took and she got exactly the amount I asked for in! 

And then there is this evening when I was walking the beach, closer to the end of the walk. I saw some folks fishing and recognized a shark fin. The reeling it in was also noticeable as I’ve seen other-than -fish caught enough times at this point and I know what this looks like. It was a nice sized shark. I watched from afar, wondering what they’d do. Long story short, they tagged it, measured it, and released it. I took one picture since my camera is full and that was all I could get. I passed them but then went back and one saw I was going to ask a question. I asked if they’d tagged the shark and he said yes, they are volunteers with NOAA. He then explained that they get postcards from NOAA and, when they catch and tag the shark, they send the stats to them for tracking. This isn’t the GPS kind of tracking. I thought that was interesting and I was glad to have this experience as it was totally new to me. I also learned it was a lemon shark! I said I thought it was a great white and he laughed and said no. I know what great whites look like and hadn’t really looked at lemon sharks before. I can clearly see now that they are rather different and now I know how to tell them apart. 

Lemon shark. 

So… I have more to share about sharks at some point. For now, I will simply say that during a beach walk the other day I saw a fin very nearby me, close to where I stood with just my feet in the water. It was a shark moving swiftly and deliberately. I had thought it was a great white that was young but larger than the babies I’d been seeing. I now think it was a lemon shark. 

I love the beach! 

I love having these experiences. I love having awesome expectations for fun and satisfaction to be a part of my days in moments like these. I love learning new things and making connections. I love walking the beach and I have the expectation of enjoying it every single time. Each night especially, when I walk it, I look around so thrilled to be in such a beautiful place. It's one of the easiest places I know to be. I love it. 

Satisfaction and Appreciation

I woke up this morning and wrote in a notebook about a number of things that were working out for me. I touched on satisfaction when I wrote about Beach Love, how it’s great to fall asleep satisfied and wake eager for more, and I’ve really been feeling satisfaction in noticeable ways more and more for a while now. I’m talking about the feeling of it, not just an action like crossing off something on my to do list or a taste of it here and there. I mean that I have recognized feeling satisfied a lot and I absolutely love it. It is one of my favorite feelings to feel. 

Yesterday I made a phone call to one of my banks because I am getting a new credit card due to a security issue. I had actually been contacted by the merchant and recall not caring much as the transaction was a while back and I watch my account and it’s been fine, as usual. Then I got an email from my bank saying that I’d been issued a new card and it was mailed to me. Now I cared more. I had less than 10 days to get my new card before this one was deactivated and my mail service couldn’t flag my account so I have been checking with them very often to see if it has arrived. I knew and know this will work out fine. So yesterday I called my bank and explained and asked for my current card to remain open for longer, which I was granted. Leaving out the specifics, I wanted to comment on something. The woman was nice and helpful. She kept apologizing. I was thinking in response, “Please stop apologizing. You’re doing your job.” I didn’t say it, I thought it more than once. She also made the comment that she hoped I was having a good day aside from this. I thought, “This is no big deal. I wouldn’t let something keep me from enjoying the day.” I LIKE the contrast. I like new experiences. I LOVE knowing that everything is always working out for me and it’s fun to have it all come together and experience first hand how all the details do just that. 

Last night I returned to the beach for an evening walk and I loved seeing the sunset. It is so beautiful and amazing and something I can’t imagine tiring of. Every day the sun rises and sets. We’re close to a full moon and I watched and admired the lighting on the sand and the waves and the clouds and how the sky was changing color. I stopped very often to look and take pictures. There are moments where you can see the sun and the moon and that liminal time is so cool to me. I love noticing these things and feeling appreciation for them. Appreciation is another one of my favorite things to feel. 

As I left the beach and was heading on a main road, a kind police officer pulled me over. I wondered why and she was very nice and wanted to let me know one of my lights was out. I had a funny moment of not quite understanding her dialect. She told me I could go to Advanced Auto or someplace for a new bulb and that it would probably cost about $10. I thanked her and this morning that is what I did. I showed up fully expecting and knowing that they’d have what I needed and would install it for me. I also had a cash back bonus with them via my credit card. The man helped me as soon as I walked in. We determined which light it was and for less than $12 (less than that once I get the 10% back), I had a new bulb. As he tried to get the old bulb out and explained to me how this light worked (sometimes changing a light is a much bigger process than others depending on the make and how it is built in and thankfully mine was pretty simple and didn’t require a shop visit), he was having some difficulty and went to get a few tools to help. As he tried again and seemed ready to give up, I thought about how easy it was to do it and he tried again, jiggled it back and forth some, then pulled up again and it worked. I learned how to change the light in this RV and this was a quick and easy fix. I told him I really appreciated it and off I went. 

The store I went to next was right in the same lot and I got some thin bagels, juice, and more fresh ground turkey on sale. I got back to the RV happy with how much I enjoy shopping. I especially love grocery stores and now that I have a fridge that is working, I’m loving all the fresh foods and variety I have easy access to. I drove to the beach and got a great parking spot, as usual. I froze most of the meat and made lunch. It was DELICIOUS! Turkey burger with Colby jack cheese in a thin bagel plus fresh tomatoes and a mini cucumber. I also finished off the ice cream and made a float. Satisfaction. Mmm. 

I wanted to write about this more. It’s only a glimpse of all the “little things” in my days that I appreciate and enjoy. 

The other day as I was waiting to turn into the beach parking lot, I recall the moment where I had to wait there and then, as soon as I turned in, I was with perfect timing for another vehicle to leave thus giving me a parking space right away. This lot fills and people drive around it a lot looking for someone leaving, some even park in places that are not actual parking spaces. I stay calm. I know I'll get a spot. I didn't know I was waiting before turning so I would get one until it happened. 

There are so many things working out for me. So many things I may never know the specifics or details of or even have in my awareness other than through the bigger picture. That’s OK. I don’t actually need to. I can be happy and enjoy knowing, trusting, and feeling my way as it happens. And I do. While I have my moments, I pay attention to how I’m feeling. I don’t need any condition to be happy. I can be happy and let the conditions that match be in my experience. And I do. I’ve said it before and I will say it again and again and again: I’d rather be happy. And I am.