Moving South 20 Years Later...Stave 2

Driving from New York heading south, I believed, would be boring but not require more than a day. The grinding wet and cold winter I left propelled me along, but stayed at my heels until I’d crossed the Virginia/North Carolina border.

If you’ve never driven I-95 through North Carolina, you’ve missed out. The countryside is beautiful and the roads, at least back then, not heavily traveled.

I stopped at a scenic rest stop about a third of the way into the state, got out of my car, which bore the usual winter traces of salt and dirty road stuff thrown up while driving through slush and snow. To my surprise, I was suddenly overdressed. Shedding my heavy winter coat was the same as unloading a burden I hadn’t known I carried. By the time I reached South of the Border, in Dillon, South Carolina, the air was downright balmy. Somehow, my spirit seemed lighter too, but just then, I hadn’t quite noticed the difference.

Arriving at my destination, a condo that Low Country Guild leased for my use, I felt something shift inside. It was a small difference of emotion. The air smelled cleaner, stars filled the sky, and Palmetto trees lined the roads. I saw and smelled all of that, but was exhausted and anxious to meet my obligations with my temporary employer.

The condo was clean and bright with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. I noticed this too, but fell into a deep sleep. An experience I’d not had in many months.