Me and Peter Pan

Growing up is optional, growing older is not. What a dilemma! I wake up in the morning and I am shocked to see that older woman in my bathroom mirror. Who is she, where did she come from and how did she get in my house?

I am truly akin to Peter Pan, in that I simply refuse to grow up. I can pretend to be a "grown up" occasionally for extended periods of time during office hours. But I do refuse to grow up. It's one of the things my grandchildren adore about me and my adult children despair. I look at Doug, my husband and still see that teenage boy that I fell in love with. Mirrors tend to sneak up on us when we least expect it. "Who is that gray haired man sitting at the kitchen table?"

When I head to the beach I still expect to see Thomas' Seafood on the left mainland side of the draw bridge. They should still have pet goats outside to draw kids to their store. You could go and pet the goats while the bridge was open. You should still have to run like blazes to jump in the back of your Grandmothers Pontiac station wagon before the bridge opens back up.

I recall lazy days spent in the sun playing in the surf and laying on a quilt on the sand. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich sticking to the roof of my mouth was the best lunch imaginable. I tried to make that one orange Tru Ade soda last through that peanut butter sandwich.

I wanted that experience for my kids. Now I want that same experience for my Grandkids. As the song goes, "The good old days weren't always good, tomorrow's not as bad as it seems..." It is a fact that Thomas' is no longer beside the draw bridge (it moved just down the street decades ago and the goats have been long gone.) But...the shadow of the past is there every time I cross the bridge. Pretty soon it will be a different bridge, but I'll bet you the ghost of those memories will still linger "gentle on my mind."

The new Surf City bridge...what a topic. We should be able to experince the wonder of it within the next3 to 4 years. I wonder what will be its allure? Just imagine the view from 65 feet above! From its heights, the panoramic view unfolding should be a visual hallelujah chorus. Cresting the top of that bridge, the magnificence that will unfold, should be breathtaking to say the least. At night, with the lights bouncing off the waves will be a fantasy delight. I guess in a few years we could refer to it as the "new" nostalgia.

It's a bit exciting even for a Bah Humbug like me, who is still having a "love affair" with the old bridge. It's nice to remember waiting and watching as the boats go sailing majestically through the waterway, silently slicing through the waters. Not so nice when you are late for work or an appointment for the second day in a row and a boat dares to come unexpectedly outside the top of the hour. Oh how many times have we used that old "bridge caught me" excuse?

I remember watching sea turtles lazily lumbering up the beach strand at the bottom of the dunes to lay their eggs. We weren't so careful in those days to guard them as the treasures they truly are. (Forgive me Miss Jean Beasley of Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital fame.) Those Loggerheads are so imposing, to merely catch a glimpse of one was a true gift to be remembered forever. I can take my Grandchildren to the turtle hospital and let them thrill to the wonder of Mother Nature. The turtles are prehistoric and will probably outlast us all if we do not interfere with them or destroy their habitat.

As a local Realtor I am very aware of our glorious environment. This is my product, my inventory. The beach is the reason why people come from all over the country. It's why they vacation here, buy houses here and retire here. I enjoy helping them choose the area they prefer and deciding what they like best about the island. Helping them choose where they want to vacation this summer, next year and always is a pure pleasure to me. I always remember how very fortunate I am to call Topsail Island home.

Cathy Medlin, Realtor/Property Manager