August 31, 2023 – Arnold Schwarzenegger and Me

Finally a place to call home.  What does this have to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger?  Matt and I recently watched the Netflix series about Arnold Schwarzenegger.  I really found him inspiring!  The guy needs to be a self-help guru.  (Turns out he just put out a self-help book.  I am prescient.)

            His outlook is ridiculously positive.  He contends that he gets a vision in his head, and he just pursues it until he achieves what he wants to achieve.  He is lucky as hell no doubt.  People take to him because of his positivity and good nature, and he had a lot of help from a lot of people over the years.  He took advantage of every opportunity.  But he is also determined and seemingly unfazed if he has a setback.  He just works harder and keeps his eye on the ball.  Another lesson– he never second guessed his decisions.  He figured out what he needed to do, and he did what he had to do to succeed.  

            He wanted to be a body builder.  Check.  He thought he belonged in America.  Check.  Having won just about every body building prize several times over he decided hey, I want to be a movie star. Not “I want to act.”  I want to be a star.  He set out to do it and he did it.  What is next?  I’m going to be Governor of California.  Seriously, Arnold?  Yes, and he did it.  He wasn’t a bad governor.  He just exudes a can-do spirit that is infectious.  

            He kept quoting his Dad who, when Arnold was young, instructed him to be useful.  Arnold said you can find meaning in life by being useful.  When I was growing up, my Dad used to say, “If you don’t have anything to do, find something to do.”  It is the same principle.  Don’t just sit around.  Make yourself useful.  And it works. 

            So, what does Arnold have to do with our finally locating and moving to a rental property at the beach in New Zealand?  Like Arnold, I have always envisioned myself living in New Zealand.  I have also always envisioned myself living at the beach.  The sound of the ocean just makes me happy.  Many people think that I can’t sit still.  Not true.  I can go to the beach, sit in a chair, and watch the waves for hours.  I’ll take a book and never read it.  The ocean just speaks to me.  

            But unfortunately, my life was directed to an entirely different place, and I lived with longing.  Here is where Arnold comes in.  Without knowing it, I followed his advice.  I created a vision.  Upon retirement, I would figure out a way to live at the beach.  I just kept saying it.  I am going to live at the beach when I retire.   I was going to figure it out because I wanted to watch the ocean, breath in salt air, and listen to the heartbeat of water.  So my mantra has been: I am going to live at the beach before I die.  And ocean front if possible.  It would be nice to just walk the beach every day.  But I really wanted to be able to see the waves from my house.  

            Most people would say, Marsha, that’s easy.  Just move to Florida with everyone else.  No, that was not the answer.  Put simply, forget the politics, it is the “everyone else” that is the problem.  There are just way too many people in Florida or in most seaside towns.  Too many people means having to put up with them.  Having lived in the city for 40 years, I am done with putting up with people.  My goal was a different kind of beach.  One not populated with too many people making too much noise.  

            These beaches do exist.  You just have to find them.  There is one in North Carolina we like.  And there is one in New Zealand.  Te Horo Beach, about an hour’s drive north of Wellington.  To get to Te Horo Beach you have to drive back roads through farmland populated with sheep, dairy cows, and horses.  It is just a sleepy little place with houses.  There are no restaurants or cafes or a boardwalk or anything really.  Just the ocean and houses.  If we need something, there are larger towns in both directions or, if need be, we can drive into the city.  It is an easy, beautiful drive through green hills dotted with sheep.  

            The house has a wide-open view to the ocean from the deck.  We are facing due west and we get to see the sunset every day.  There is a small park in front of our house which provides beach access.  On most days, the biggest activity is when people drive up, park, and go for a walk.  Some folks bring their horses and go for a ride on the beach.  It really does not get better than this.  

            Arnold was right.  Have a vision and pursue it.  For us, it took moving across the world but, by golly, I am living at the beach with a fine view.  I can hear the waves crashing.  I can see the sky–all of it.  The stars thrive out here.  The Milky Way shines.  

            We fretted about the distance.  It is considered rural.  RD 1.  And Matt still has to commute to Wellington.  But the house, though not quite big enough, is situated exactly as we wanted.  Once we get settled and the internet is up and running, Matt will be commuting to Wellington three days a week.  Right now, he is going every day and it sucks.  I thank him every day for letting me live out my vision.