Those that know me think I'm a pretty happy fellow-and I am. I
love a good joke, I'm quick with a smile, and I like meeting new
people-that's why I chose sales as a career. But during fall and
winter it was a real struggle to smile. Something about winter
always sucked the wind from my sails. It was 3 to 4 months of
torture. But I never let on how much I hated winter. HATED IT!
I had Winter Blues Depression Syndrome. (I made that term up) It
wasn't depression in the clinical sense, it was more like "When
will Spring get here? I can't take many more dark, cold days". I
also felt cheated out of days of life when it was too cold to
venture outdoors and I stayed cooped up in the house. There had
to be a cure.
There's a scientific term called Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD), a depression that occurs during the fall and winter months
due to a drop in brain serotonin levels. Results indicated that
the activity of serotonin-containing neurons was lowest during
the fall and winter and highest in spring and summer, when
sunlight is most plentiful. Serotonin was obviously in very short
supply in my brain. I had to find a supply and a cure for SAD.
During a visit to Florida I noticed how great I felt in the
middle of winter. Eureka! The Florida sun with all its magical,
serotonin-inducing powers had cured me! I was on to something.
Even after returning home, the effect seemed to linger and stay
with me.
We began to vacation in Florida, once or twice a year when time
and money permitted. Planning the trips was almost as therapeutic
as taking them. We started out in the Florida Panhandle, but
quickly chose Central Florida as our favorite destination. We
became friends with Mickey Mouse and our vacations there helped
make Disney the empire it is today. Florida sun was good to me.
Every year we talked about moving there and even made symbolic
plans to relocate. We researched the cost of living, housing
costs, even the school districts. Then finally, soon after a
painful year in which we lost some close family members and
friends, we decided- Life is Indeed Too Short! We quit our jobs,
sold the house, loaded the rental truck and headed for Central
Florida; Palm Coast to be specific.
I had spent countless hours on http://www.Realtor.com checking
house prices, and found that homes in Palm Coast were almost half
of those in the Orlando area. Palm Coast still has many lots
available to build on, and there are so many home builders you
can surely find a design you want. One company is even building
houses with solid concrete walls, a feature I'd like if a
hurricane ever passes this way.
Speaking of hurricanes, I was looking at a map from
http://www.NOAA.gov the other day, and found that at least since
1950, no hurricane has made landfall near Palm Coast. I don't
know if it's Divine Intervention or just plain good luck. A few
old sages mentioned upper Jet Streams, ocean currents and similar
possible reasons, but I don't care. I just like the odds.
The Flagler County School District is one of the finest in
Florida, and unemployment is quite low. It's only a few minutes
from the Atlantic Ocean and just 20 or so minutes to Daytona
Beach and St. Augustine. (The oldest city in the nation for those
keeping score.)
Best of all, it's a tad over an hour to get to Disney World. We
bought Florida Resident Passes and use them almost monthly. We
already had quasi time-shares in the Disney Vacation Club, and
wondered if we would sell them. We found that we visit so often,
we plan to buy more points in the DVC. Even though it's a short
drive from Palm Coast, it's so enjoyable to stay at the resorts
and use the pools.
Palm Coast is unique in that the entire city had a master plan
before a shovel of dirt was turned. ITT made a major investment
in land, and spent untold hours planning every street, sewer, and
park. Palm Coast is fanatical about walking and biking trails.
Almost every major road has a paved path to ride. They even
placed benches every so often for the less-aerobic types like me.
Golf courses in Palm Coast are like airplanes at O'Hare airport.
Every where you look there's a new course to play.
Did I mention the ocean? Besides the sunlight, I found that just
gazing at the Atlantic is relaxing and good for the brain. I
guess that's why so many folks like to frolic in the sun at the
beach—to get a double dose of feel good. Flagler Beach is one of
the rare beaches that hasn't been consumed by condos. There are
long stretches of A1A you can drive along (and park), all the
while taking in the view. As much as I enjoy the sunlight, there
is nothing as awe inspiring as being at the beach when a storm
passes through. To see the waves crashing to the shores is both
riveting and scary. You want to run, but you can't look away from
that powerful exhibition of nature.
Has the move worked for me? I can tell you that as I pen this
letter, it's 19 degrees in my old town and snow is expected. Here
it's 71 and sunny. Christmas Day I made it a point to call our
friends and family back home, for both Christmas wishes and to
tell them that I cut my grass on Christmas Eve. I'm not a NASCAR
fan, but this weekend we're heading to Daytona for one of the
minor races. We visited Disney last week and spent the night at
the Caribbean Beach Resort after a delicious African dinner at
Boma. Yes! I can say the move worked for me. Life is good in
sunny Palm Coast, Florida.
Visit me at: http://www.affordablefloridahomes.com
Copyright © 2005, Conrad Allen
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