I prepared myself for months for the big move back to Florida. I knew it was not going to be easy adjusting to living in this state again. All the reasons I left are still present, and are now even worse problems. Mostly it’s the tremendous growth. I’ve only been gone eleven years, but I now get lost driving on the roads I had driven for nearly thirty years.
Yesterday my son drove me to Lake Mary to get a Florida driver’s license (horror story in itself) and I had no idea where I was! Not only are there new, two-lane roads everywhere, there are buildings and traffic (it was 1:30 PM) and people everywhere. And don’t forget the fast food places on every corner. This is Florida. I knew it would be like this. Even with all my preparation – I knew what I was getting into – seeing it in person is stressful.
I have to get to the point where I am living a Florida lifestyle that contains my favorite things. Namely, my own home, proximity to the ocean, Intracoastal, and country living.
In fact, if I lived in a house like the one in the photo below, loving Florida would be easy!
It’s necessary to have your own little oasis (be it ever so humble) to escape to when all the crowds, crime and traffic in the Sunshine State bog us residents down. I need to find my oasis.
To stay calm I try to visit calming places, away from the crowds. We took a nice trip over to the seacoast last week. We ate at a little out-of-the-way seafood restaurant, called Goodrich’s, right on the Indian River, and visited Seminole Rest. It was hotter than hell, but we walked all around the historic site, which is an old Indian colony / shell mound.
A few weeks ago we went down to Haulover Canal and watched the manatees.
This is the Florida I can appreciate, and like.
We want to take the Gheenoe out and go fishing, but I can’t fish because I don’t have a fishing license, which I can’t get until I get a Florida driver’s license. And that is not an easy item to acquire. I’m surprised they don’t need dental records, because the DMV needs just about everything else.
The amount of paperwork needed to transfer my New Hampshire driver’s license to Florida is mind-boggling and STUPID. I attempted to do this yesterday. I looked up what I needed for paperwork and took a fistful of stuff to the DMV. After waiting 1/2 hour I was told I needed a marriage certificate..!!! To get a driver’s license.!!! I didn’t scream, but it’s hard to stay calm. Not only was the whole ordeal a big fat waste of time, I still can’t go fishing.
So I am trying to like Florida. I have to live here, so I need to find my oasis. Once I can get to the beach often and get out on the water every day in our boat, I will have a better outlook. There are still many things to like about Florida… I’m just not seeing enough of them at the present time.
Pass it on
In many parts of the world , requiring a marriage certificate for something as unrelated as a driving licence would be construed as sexist and/or discriminatory . Big brother is alive and well , and not just in the USA .
Hi Melissa, thank you for reading, and for the nice comment. There is a lot to love about Florida, but you have to look a little harder all the time. It’s really a shame.
Yeah, I hear ya on how Florida has changed. I have been here since 1975 and have seen the changes. Most of it is due to a lot of people relocating here. A lot of the new requirements from the DMV for a license are due to a lot of Homeland Security laws. It is a bit ridiculous to show a marriage license to get a driver’s license. I agree with you on the hassles. But, there is a lot of old Florida charm left to enjoy. The seashells, parks, Flora and fauna make Florida
the best place in the world to live. And the fact we have no state or county income tax helps a lot, too. 🙂 Welcome back to the Sunshine State. I love your blog.