In The Land of Millionares and Bums

It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end. 

- Ursula K. Leguin

I started this blog post poolside in Hilton Head where I spent a luxurious, long weekend. (It's great having rich, generous friends!) I had planned to post it Sunday while I was there but, thanks in part to an endless supply of pomegranate martinis, that never happened. So, I've changed everything to reflect past tense and am posting it now...

When I received the invitation to spend a few days at an absolutely amazing, almost beachfront house (it even had it's own elevator) I started making plans. One of the many good things I learned from my ex was to "hope for the best; plan for the worst". And that's exactly what I did!

Plan A was the easy one. It was simply to have a great time. (I did!) But in typical female fashion, I was not content to just have my cake - I want to eat the whole damn thing AND not gain a pound in the process! Thus the catalyst for the next three plans.

Plan B included inviting a male friend to join me for a couple of days of adult fun. Unfortunately (for him), he was unable to make it. He is a very busy person though so, frankly, I would have been more surprised if he had been able to come. I was, however, a bit disappointed in him that he waited until two days before we were scheduled to be there to let me know that he wouldn't be joining me. His questionable explanation left me wondering if he had found out about my blog, and didn't want to be next week's topic of discussion. (He must have missed the part where I said that my postings were not going to be a kiss-and-tell.) Good thing I had already made backup plans!

Plan C was also a bust. I intended to get together with a man whom I had met on the dating website, who lives near Hilton Head, for drinks. He and I had exchanged several emails that included the obligatory "if you're ever in the area...". Since I was going to be in the area, I thought I would use the occasion to look him up. However, much to my dismay, I discovered that I had deleted all of his emails and couldn't find his user profile. So much for that idea.

Plan D - a.k.a. My Last Resort. When I first went to my boss to request time off from work he got very concerned that I had met a rich man, and would soon be quitting work to live a much improved lifestyle. After Danny realized that was not the case (heavy sigh), he suggested that I use the opportunity to go man hunting in what he called "the land of millionaires and bums". My host and his girlfriend, upon learning about my dating project, offered to help me out with this one. The strategy called for a visit to a local watering hole called Callahan's to watch football and check out the local manscape while Linda and Pat played "wing man" and "pimp". Alas, that plan fell through, too. (Did I mention the pomegranate martinis?)

I am now back in Charleston - relaxed, but empty handed. To be honest, I really don't care that I didn't meet any men while on vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed lounging in and by the pool, walking on the beach, hitting the steam room and jacuzzi, going shopping, and eating way too much delicious food. I may have been flying solo, but I had a wonderful time catching up with family that I don't get to see often enough, and I made a terrific new friend! And when you get right down to it, isn't that what life is really about?