Places I’ve Visited

You don’t have to travel to a foreign country to go somewhere interesting. You might be surprised at what lies in your own backyard.

Perspective in Myrtle Beach

/ Ken May / Leave a comment

Perspective often determines your level of enjoyment.  I could sit at a five star hotel with wait-staff responding to my every whim.  But if I focus on what I don’t have rather than what I do, I could be miserable.  For example: they put me next to the elevator, I didn’t get the room I requested, they were out of prime rib at the restaurant.  Or I could stay at a mid-range hotel with no amenities and have the time of my life.  What’s the difference?  Perspective.

We love coming to Myrtle Beach, SC.  And we love going in the off season.  It is 8 October as I sit on the fourth floor balcony and write this.  It is hurricane season so it is overcast.  It is not the prime season, but we are as happy as can be.  There are no crowds to deal with.  We got the room at a discounted rate because of the time of year.  And we can sit on the balcony and enjoy the majestic ocean.

I think our challenge is to find this kind of perspective in other areas of life.  Maybe I didn’t get the job I wanted, but what advantages do I have in my present job?  Maybe one of my relationships isn’t going that great, but what am I learning?  Maybe I am not making desired progress toward some of my goals, but how am I growing?  Perspective.  Whether it pertains to your beach hotel or an area of your life, it can be the key to contentment.

And as you can see in the last two pictures, it turned out pretty spectacular anyway.

Zone 1 Starbucks

/ Ken May / Leave a comment

The gravel crunches under my combat boots.  Laptop tucked under my arm.  Walking under the arched canopy (in the Army we call them sun-shades), I pass tables and chairs in a Paris-sidewalk-café-esque arrangement.  Hints of cigar smoke hang in the air and dove waddle around looking for bits of croissants that have fallen.  My boots clunk on the metal steps and the hinges groan as I tug on the door.  

My eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior. Layers of grime on the armrests of the chairs reveal the years of soldiers, contractors and government civilians who have taken refuge in this place.  The smell inside is pungent and stale at the same time— a mixture of expended coffee grounds, brewing espresso and mold and mildew lurking in the dark corners.

I get my grande Pike Place and settle into one of the chairs where thousands have sat as they have sought a little bit of respite.  Separated from family and civilization.  Being held to a ridiculous expectation of work output.  Dealing with crises at home.  Some are getting ready to go into combat in a few hours or days.  Some supporting the ones in the fight.  Some will not come back.  I am right now sitting in a chair where someone wrote the last email they would ever write to their loved ones.

But still, this place is a refuge.  It is a reminder of a normal life.  A life that is not filled with early mornings and late nights.  With long training days and deployments to far away places.  Of a time when good-bye will no longer be said.  If this Starbucks sat in the States, it would be condemned and closed down.  Here, on Camp Arifjan, it is an oasis.  And one of my favorite places.  I’ve spent two years in total on this installation.  Hopefully, I will spend no more time here.  But if I do, I know my grime covered chair will be waiting for me to sustain me until I go home again.

Places I’ve Visited

/ Ken May / Leave a comment

I will soon fill this category with descriptions of journeys I have taken and places I have seen. Keep coming back and checking. In the comments, let me know about some out-of-the-way yet nearby extraordinary places you have visited.