1200 Miles Into the Future

by Sadie McNutt (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown USA

She stood staring out at swells, feeling the sand between her toes. With each breath she welcomed the salty ocean air, allowing her senses to be consumed with the pleasures of the sea. Sadie was 1200 miles from home, truly alone in the world for the first time in her life; an overwhelming feeling of freedom rushed over her, encompassing her body, down to her core. Bliss, pure bliss is what she felt. This would be the start of the rest of her life. It was hard to believe she was here, in "Sunny San Diego, California", when less than 48 hours prior, Sadie was sitting in her snazzy condo in Dallas, Texas; contemplating life and death, the past and the future and everything in-between. Wondering why she felt the way she did... even with all of the lovely things, the perfect job, the shiny engagement ring weighing on her left ring finger, the "perfect" life, she felt incomplete. Like something was missing, but not something small, something big. It ached, this something inside her, and she knew she could no longer ignore the tinge of dissatisfaction coursing through her. For if she did, she might regret it the rest of her life. This was the moment she decided to throw it all away, to exchange it for something different, something new. In one swift movement Sadie reached for her keys and was out the door. An hour later she returned, carrying cardboard boxes and duct tape in hand and began to pack her old life away. Tirelessly she worked, until the task was complete. She stood in her doorway, gazing at the empty space, at the walls once lined with framed memories of her life, now as blank as an empty canvas before a paint brush's first strokes. She did not look back as she got in her car and drove. It wasn't until she reached New Mexico that she decided where exactly she was headed. She had always wanted to live in California, by the ocean; Had always wanted to learn how to surf, to travel the world living in a van. A "gypsy" soul, a traveler, a seeker of adventure. A walking cliche, she thought to herself and chuckled. But why not? She had found her mantra for this next chapter of her life. She even painted it across the side of the van she purchased a week later. Why not...now those were words to live by, and living is just exactly what she intended to do. No more hesitation, no more playing it safe. No more missing out on all of the beautiful things this world has to offer, she was going to experience it all. She would soak up as many warm rays of sun as she could each day and gaze upon as many stars as she could at night. Sadie's phone buzzed in her pocket pulling her back into the present moment. She reached down to silence the vibrating nuisance and saw the same three letters on the screen that had been popping up repeatedly for the last two days. Eighteen missed calls from Lee, her fiancé... As much as she wanted to click ignore and savor more of this moment, Sadie knew she needed to first close this door. She swiped to answer the call. An hour later she retired her phone for the evening. The weight of her decision weighing heavy on her heart.. she stripped her clothes off and laid them down in the sand. The darkness of the night concealing the bareness of her skin, she waded out into the water deeper and deeper swimming past the break to where she could float upon the surface in peace, the water bearing the weight of her body, and closed her eyes.