Atlantic City | Memorial Day Weekend | 26 May 2018

As I was coming home last night from Atlantic City, I was reflecting on 26 May 2017. A year ago from yesterday, I was in the final four days from accepting the invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residency. I was freaking out because I read the invitation last minute since I made the $10,000 I needed and realized I needed letters from my employers. I also needed an upfront physical. I was worried because I didn’t have the physical done and I knew I couldn’t get it before 31 May 2017. Janie, Leigh, and a bunch of others calmed me down. Unfortunately, four months later I was refused because, of my full-time job. I couldn’t get the physical because I didn’t have the invite. Maybe it was a good thing because I am currently working on lowering my liver numbers. In the future, when I reapply, I know what to expect, and I never want to go through that type of panic again.

Between last year and this year, it has been light and day.  Since going gluten-free, I’ve been in a better mood. It has been a pain trying to eat out, and I cook a lot of my own food now. I brought my own food to Atlantic City yesterday, and I was happy that the gluten-free PB&J sandwiches, fruits, beets, gluten-free cookies, and crackers held me over while I was on the beach. The fruits and beets were refreshing since the water was choppy and cold.

I had a blast and the day was beautiful. It was warm, but the sea breeze made it tolerable. It was supposed to rain, but I am glad Adam Joseph and the Weather Channel blew that forecast. There was not a cloud in the sky yesterday. I kept reapplying my sunscreen as well.

I met some friendly people yesterday and took selfies with them. I explained my project and they loved the idea. They were also honoured to be part of it – unanimously, we need more kindness and laughter in this world. Kindness begets kindness, and it was fun sharing laughs with people yesterday. The swimming always makes the trip, but meeting some others adds to the trip too. I took a selfie with a little boy, Randy, since he took video of me playing in the waves. Then I went up to his mother and asked for a selfie with her. She loved the idea, and it was so lovely chatting with them both, though Randy was more interested in the waves. I don’t blame him, I am that way too.

I then met Jason, his twin brother, and their friend. We swam for a little bit, and I was chatting with them until they pointed out that one of my piercings was bleeding. A wave hit me and knocked my goggles down a bit. The piercings were okay, but since I was pierced a few weeks ago, it started to bleed. I cleaned it up, then walked over to the guys and thanked them. We chatted some more, and they loved the idea of the selfies. They joked they could take selfies all day. I smiled and said maybe I’ll catch them later. I, unfortunately, didn’t catch up with them later. I spent the rest of the day swimming.

I had to charge my phone, and at 4 PM, I decided I had enough of the beach, and I would just change. I ended up sitting at Starbucks for 2 hours, and my phone didn’t even charge fully! While I was charging my phone, a middle-aged man was doing the same. We chatted the entire time, and it felt like I was catching up with an old friend. That definitely made the time fly. His name was Dylan.

Before I left to go home, I decided to go to Rain Forest Cafe since Google said it was gluten-free. As I walked in, I saw a young family and asked them if this was the restaurant since it looked like an arcade. It was, and I asked the young mother if she knew if this place was gluten-free. She confirmed since she can’t have gluten either. When we heard it was a two-hour wait, she included me in their decision for gluten-free restaurants; she showed me the gluten-free app and pulled up a bunch of restaurants. She gave me a big hug, wished me luck and safe travels before I left. She was so kind, and it felt great. The boardwalk was crowded, and I ended up going. I ate when I arrived home.

I had a fun time in Atlantic City. I love spending the day in the water. I love being by the water. I am exhausted and spent my time recharging today. I am an introvert, but I do love meeting small groups of people. I just need my time to restore afterwards.