Just as a clue to over-driven, OCD, and perfectionist colleagues out there, it's not worth. Whatever has got you to the point where you start shaking when you open email, get randomly furious with completely innocent communication, and have an incapability to focus for more than three milliseconds (assuming you can normally focus), then you are officially burned out. Crashed. Done. Take a break - it's over until you do.
It's really funny, in retrospect, because when I did snap, several people apologised to me thinking they were the last straw. Really, it wasn't just one thing. It was everything. Something about maintaining two high responsibility roles at one location, several things going on in my consultancy, and collecting the data for my PhD just sent me over the edge. I take great pride in the fact that I acknowledged it, informed my boss and two managers who report to me that I had indeed snapped and needed sleep as well as time with my daughter especially.
Then, after two days of sleep and hanging out with Ellie (including roasting marshmallows in our fireplace with hot chocolate with steamed milk), it was time to even escape Asheville. But nothing as well known as Hilton Head ... it was time to find new territory, such as the Low Country between Charleston and Hilton Head.
While I heard that Beaufort was beautiful, I truly did not expect the mini-New Orleans experience. Founded in 1711, before Charleston or Savannah, this town is the centre piece of true history. A church that survived the Yemasee Wars, Revolutionary War, and Civil War ... a cemetery over 300 years old ... houses that represented a small version of the American District of New Orleans ... and a town centre that had excellent food as well as cute shoppes ... all near the ocean and midst islands everywhere, it was easy to find the town incredibly attractive. The shopping included a wonderfully unique Lego instruction book for Ellie in the local toy shoppe and a gorgeous vintage Limoges oyster plate. That was actually quite a challenge. After getting rid of a lot of dishes, I felt some guilt over buying another ... but then this was 1) very uncommon dish, 2) a dish that I'd use constantly, and 3) really totally gorgeous! Fine. One of my inner voices thankfully relented so that I could stop rambling around the shoppe muttering to myself, and even more thankfully, the relenting voice was the one fighting the purchase :)
I realised, during this little escape, that Hilton Head ocean waters doesn't do much for me. It's so calm anyway. I far prefer the angrier waters found in the northeast down to Outer Banks. However, something that the area does provide in abundance is wildlife. Pickney Island nestled on the inland between Hilton Head and the Low Country is a gorgeous walking experience for tonnes of bird life especially. This particular snap is a favourite of mine (it took about 10 in a row to get this good one).
...and what ocean experience does not include the most amazing food on the planet? Well, one of the most amazing foods at least. The local Bluepoints are really quite good - very mellow with a slightly crisp finish. Add some horseradish with a touch of ketchup, and it can get out of control. My only problem is that fresh local oysters ruins me for anything less. However, it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make on a regular basis.
