Just another day at the office, or is it the beach? When you’re an author, writer, or beach bum it’s all one and the same. Office-beach, beach-office, is there a better place to call work? Probably not.
Now if I had to guess, I’d say most people dread taking work with them when they leave the office. However, being an author, one of the greatest things is being able to do your work anywhere and anytime. Why? Because you never know when that creative spark will light a fire under your fingertips and drown out the sound of “crashing waves” with the “tap-tap-tap” of a keyboard.
A Typical Day At The Office
Don’t worry; today is not like most days. Yes, there is a real office. Well actually it’s a spare room that has been converted and now qualifies as an office.
There’s a desk and chair, computer (usually on the desk, but it was already packed to go to the beach today), all-in-one printer-scanner-fax machine, and a few other basic essentials like paper, pens, posted notes and tacks to pin important items on the bulletin board.
In addition to all the tools required to get the job done, there’s a small creative space to do puzzles and fun things. You know, like when writers block sets in or after a really long productive session and a quick R&R break is needed.
Most days start with notes being jotted down in my journal. Some great ideas happen during the night when the brain is “really” turned on. If those dreams and thoughts aren’t noted at the break of day, they’ll be forgotten before breakfast is even made.
After breakfast is when the real work starts. I’ll typically go through emails first; just to make sure nothing critical has hit the Inbox. While most things enjoy the instant “Delete Key” experience, anything that doesn’t need to be addressed right away goes on the back burner.
Next, I’ll usually read through what I finished the day before, not to edit it, but to refresh my thoughts and to make sure I want to continue down the same path. This is the part of the day that can last ten minutes or ten hours. And on good days, the ten hours feels like ten minutes. It’s amazing how quick time flies when you’re on a roll.
Some days there’s a lunch break, other days there’s no time for that. When creativity is screaming it rules the schedule, which sometimes means dinner is a quick 9 P.M. pizza getting thrown in the oven.
The day usually ends with those back burner emails, followed by an episode of Friends or “PLEASE GOD NO” not Netflix. Yes, late night Netflix binges are addicting, although they are not quite as addicting as hunting for shark’s teeth.
A Non-typical Day At The Office
Did I say hunting for shark’s teeth? Yes, and it’s addicting! In fact, even more addicting than a good book. Well, maybe not my books ;o)
Now these are not your everyday shark teeth. These are prehistoric sharks teeth. You know, the ones that are millions of years old. There are all kinds in this photo: Giant White, Sand Tiger, Bull, Lemon, Tiger, even a Snaggletooth; but no giant Megalodon – the granddaddy of them all. Haven’t found one of those big boys washed up on the shore just yet.
Anyway, as is the topic of this article, today really is just another day at the office, just not the home office. With today’s weather report being a cool eighty-two degrees out and sunny, I decided to pack up the work tools (computer and phone) and head to the beach. If I can write at my desk, I should be able to write at the beach.
Besides, breaks at the beach are way cooler. When I need a break I pickup my sifting basket and head to the shoreline, and the search for shark’s teeth begins. Finding them really isn’t that hard. Sometimes just walking along the beach and looking down is all you need to do. Other times I just use my sifter and scrape along where the waves break, then go through what I pickup and find teeth.
However, when I’m really looking for teeth, I’ll find the perfect rock outcrop along the beach and start digging. Not just scratching the surface, but deep. Of course I’ll look through each scrapping for teeth, but I’ll eventually work my way down anywhere from six to sometimes fifteen inches. Usually every basket results in at least one tooth, not always but mostly. However, every now and then I hit the mother load and find six or seven teeth. Talk about a great day at the office!
Like all good things, eventually the hunt for prehistoric shark teeth comes to an end. I head back to the computer to make notes for a book, write an article or edit some photos or illustrations. I know it’s a tough life, but someone has to do it.
Most days at the “Beach” office end with a sunset, but today things got a little overcast. Instead of a sunset I took a photo of a pelican on the rocks. And “NO” that is not a shark in the background, it’s a friendly dolphin on an evening food run.
Home Office Beach Office It’s All Good
Whether you’re doing something especially difficult, dangerous or unusual as part of your daily work routine, just remember that your beach may be your office, or your office may be at the beach. As long as you’re doing what you love and love what you’re doing, it’s all good.
By the way, if you want to know more about prehistoric shark teeth and where to find them, checkout Venice Beach Fossils by the FossilGuy. About three-quarters of the way down the page he has a great image that describes all the different shark teeth you might find on the beach.
As for beaches, I’m kind of partial to Caspersen. And if you’re lucky, you might just see me with my head down digging along the shoreline hunting for my favorite treasures or sitting in a beach chair banging away at another article or working on one of my children’s book. Either way I’ll be enjoying life and it will be just another day at the office.
