Of
OAK ISLAND , NC
The biggest decisions of the day were to go surfing, go fishing, walk along the beach, or just �kick back� on our screened in back porch and do nothing except enjoy the companionship of the south wind and solitude.
It seemed that the entire island population had acquired the same �no hurry�, laid back way of life. A lifestyle where valid and acceptable reasons to not go to school or work were, � The surf is up�, or, �The fish are biting�.
Living at the coast was not just a way of life; it was an attitude. It was an easily acquired attitude because it exists, somewhere, in each and every one of us. The coastal atmosphere simply allows this feeling to be, and allows it to be with the full acceptance and understanding of everyone around us. The coastal attitude was the norm on Oak Island and those who do not understand it are the people left on the outside, locked into their own little world of stress and ulcers.
It is not an attitude of laziness, for the people of Oak Island are hard working folks, but rather an attitude dealing with priorities. The enjoyment of our way of life comes first. We work to maintain our way of life, not to change it by buying elusive status, or to climb corporate ladders to temporary heights, only to eventually fall. People play the roles and take on the identities that the corporate world creates, for so many years, eventually one will find that they have played the role for so long, they no longer can remember who they really are.
Sooner or later we will all take a look at our lives and what we have done with them. When some look back at the years spent in denying themselves of life�s pleasures in order to achieve false goals and status, and then compare that to the number of years they have left to enjoy life, many are not going to like the answers.
Although no one can see what traumatic events may be lurking for them in some dark cavern of the future, or what situations of life are waiting to trample our emotions and knock a happy life to its knees, I was enjoying everyday of my existence, and very willingly, soaking up everything that coastal living had to offer. What it offered, it offered readily and in abundance, a relaxed, laid back, no hurry, no worry, way of life. It offered a strong appreciation of nature, both its beauty and its power, and a very profound respect for our fellow man.
Although the bank account balances of the people of Oak Island ranged from abundant to none, there were no noticeable social divisions or prejudices, but rather a deep understanding and mutual respect among all. For we all had the same common bond, we were the residents of Oak Island.