I love to drive, I really really do.... So much so that I once drove by myself from Palm Coast, Florida to San Fran, and enjoyed every minute of it (well, I could have done without the hitch-hiker...)

Now, I am spending so much time behind my keyboard that I hardly ever leave the house, save for an occasional trip to see a client or to the store.  So when I was asked a few days ago to run an errand for a friend which involved taking off for an hour without feeling guilty about it, I was all for it.  It was a rather silly little favor that took me from 12 miles inland across the bridge to A1A.  For those of you who don't know, A1A is our scenic highway along the Atlantic coast, and is absolutely beautiful.  During tourist season, it's bustling with traffic of all kinds, from bikini-clad sun revelers to bikers in their leather gear, and everything in between...  Bob Marley blasting from car stereos, cause there is nothing better than the beach and Bob Marley; margaritas dripping condensation onto napkins with love notes scribbled on them at the beachside cafes, and the many fisherman casting for fish amidst a sea of pelicans and seagulls...

The last time I was at the beach was indeed during the summer, or so I realized upon crossing the bridge to an eerily quiet beach-side town.  No cars high- jacking the view of the ocean, no bikini-clad youths, and no Bob Marley.  I slowed down to a comfortable 30, just because I wanted to take it all in, slowly.  I needed so desperately to inhale enough oysters and seaweed to last me until it warms up enough to take the pups to the pink coquina sands...  I needed to have enough time to have the calm winter blue of the Atlantic remind me why I am here, and how glorious, indeed, this place is.  No matter what happens, this vast body of water will always beckon me.  I am, alas, a child of the sea, even in times when I don't need a compass to keep from getting lost...

 So, wherever in the Universe you happen to be, take a drive to a spot that beckons you... To a place where it's ok to laugh, cry, and be utterly alone and filled with magic... You know where it is - go find it. 

Mine is a skip and a hop away, and for that, I am eternally greatful...