Peace, Be Still

In the whirlwind of change, light appears

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted here, and to the three people who read my blog, I sincerely apologize. I’ve been so busy lately, I don’t know whether I found a rope or lost a horse.

The last nine months or so have been a whirlwind of change for Roger and me, and we may actually be seeing a little light at the end of what has seemingly been a very long and curvy tunnel. 

My last entry here found me in the throes of upheaval from a recent job loss. This, in turn, led to the decision to sell our home on Lake Texoma and head to the warm and sandy shores of Padre Island. It wasn’t exactly a ‘snap’ decision. We had dreamed of doing so for several years, but the timing just never felt right. My sudden unemployment, the cold March wind and the onset of a global pandemic were just the stars we were waiting on to line up to make our move. 

Nearly one-year later, salty shores abound

In a little over 30 days from now, a full year will have passed since we made the half-hearted decision to pull the plug. “Half-hearted” only because we still weren’t convinced we were doing the right thing.  It took us until late June to physically move down to the Island, and we had a lot of changes of heart during those couple of months. One day, we would be biting at the bit to sink our toes into the salty gulf sand, and the next day we’d wistfully look about the little mud hut we had turned into a home and brush back tears at the idea of abandoning ship. 

But once we had accepted a firm offer, there was no turning back, and we gleefully did all the things a family does when relocating. Okay, maybe not “gleefully,” but somewhat cheerfully. I mean, there were cheerfully exciting moments. Okay, there was that one time … oh nevermind, mostly it was like walking across a swinging bridge full of loose and missing boards with stress and worry on one side and hot molten lava on the other. 

By the end of July, most of the dishes were put away in our new rental, and we started to get into the rhythm of our new life. We were learning to live in a new land and making our way to various points of interest in order to become better acquainted with our fresh surroundings.

In late August, I went to work selling boats at a family owned dealership that’s been a part of this community since the ’50’s, and it offered me a great opportunity to learn even more about the waterways of this area. I have a little side gig called Boat Buyers Consulting that I’m still working to get off the ground, but like any start-up sole-proprietorship, taking off can be extremely laborious, to say the least.

I’ve decided staying away from any type of management role will allow me to give some extra time to this fledgling enterprise while keeping groceries in the house and a house to keep the groceries in. 

And speaking of houses, about a month ago, we bought our own piece of the Island. Even though we had a one-year lease, I could hardly sleep at night knowing all of that rent money was going to build someone else’s equity and besides, a rental property just never feels like home to me. You know what I mean?

Well, that’s it for today, kids. Thank you for reading along. I know I left a lot of detail out, but we wanted to bring you up to speed. I promise to fill in some blanks over the next few weeks.

Until next time, love the one you’re with.

Roger and Me

---

My Name is Rob Poindexter. I am a writer, storyteller and boat buyers consultant, currently living in N. Padre Island, Texas.

With a background in the marine, automotive and careers industries, and a knack for witty storytelling, I have written content that has been picked up by global, B2B and B2C media.