By: Mary E. Regan, Publicist
Life’s Reflections- 1,000 Miles From (and To) “Home”
Wow, a year ago already! Today, my beau and I spent a beautiful day on Folly Beach, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Back in Maine, it would be 10 degrees cooler. Ah, the Pine Tree State… To think it is 1,000 miles away from my new home here. Two months ago, I went back to my hometown of Portland, the “City by the Sea,” for a week to get away from things. Or, maybe to get back to things? I’m not sure.
A year ago today, Ron and I landed here in West Ashley—a major move. It did not happen overnight, as it was planned for over a year. In fact, I had visited The Holy City twice for several networking meetings with various public relations firms, and the day we ventured from Maine was emotional for me. Of course, I had moved before. I lived in Raleigh and Hartford but neither felt like “home.” Plus, I was moving to a totally different area with the man I love. Scary? You bet. But exciting. “It’s an adventure,” Ron reminded me. They say you either live in fear or in love. You have to just go for it in life!
So…Charleston. Like Portland, it is a tourism city by the ocean but a lot hotter, and the economy is supposed to be a lot better than Maine. Ron teases me whenever I say how refreshing the ocean off Maine is to dive into and body surf. “It’s freezing!” he says. I say it’s how you view it. I think it’s good to have some coolness—it gets your blood pumping! Why do you think the actress Katharine Hepburn lived so long? Part of it certainly was the fact she jumped into the Atlantic every day for a swim. I am still not 100% sure SC is where I will be for the rest of my life, but for now it is home.
Me? When we first got here, I was in a great three-month freelance gig and then—poof! —it was over because that company did not have the budget to hire me on perm. Life of a freelancer. It has indeed been a long year about freelancing and networking and job searching. I think it would be hard in any state. People ask me, “Do you like SC?” I say, “Yes, but I’ll like it a whole lot better once I have a full-time gig!”
I do think change is coming. I may be working remotely as a freelancer for various jobs, which gives me more freedom. It’s about time. I want the second half of my life to be fun, fulfilling and full of adventure. My dream is to be able to have the type of life where I can be down here in the winter and travel more. I think I’ll always have moments of homesickness, as I’ll always be a New England gal at heart, but the “1,000 miles away” thing is just a plane trip or a mindfulness meditation away!
Mary holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Southern Maine and is a lifelong learner, having taken graduate level public policy courses at the Muskie School as well as holding a Certificate in Public Speaking as a graduate of The Dale Carnegie Course. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, reading, exercising, spending time with friends, photography and traveling. She currently resides in Charleston, SC. For more information, see Mary’s website: www.ProPublicist.com.