Coffee Stories
From corporate time to island time: A memoir in two moments
Yesterday, after a meeting with a colleague from the paper, the beach walkover called my name. I swear it did.
We’d been sitting outside in the sun, both in easy coastal attire and flip-flops, letting silly and solid ideas flow as we talked about a sales plan for the year ahead. No rush, no clock, just two people who’ve found their rhythm in this coastal place.
As I walked to my car, the beach walkover that I had glanced at when I pulled up a few hours ago, called my name. I swear it did. So I did what I always do now – I answered. I crossed the street and walked out onto it, letting my senses take in everything around me: the palm trees lined up to welcome the community, the bikers and walkers on the boardwalk literally smiling as they used the beautifully crafted walkway. In my mind’s eye I can still see the young man sitting in the grass, reading a book and listening to music.
As my senses continued to take in all they were feeling and enjoying, I came to the part of the walkover when the full view of the beach and ocean take over everything inside of me, and I stopped in my tracks. I tried as I might to capture the memory – the view, the smell, the colors of the ocean. It is…everything.
As I looked around closer at the people on the beach dressed in bikini’s to hoodies, there was a woman standing beside her beach blanket, facing my direction because the sun was behind me. Her face was looking up towards the sun and her arms were down by her side but outstretched a little as she welcomed the warmth of the sun on her face and her body.
I knew what she was doing because I was doing the same thing.
Just…being…as the warmth of the sun is on your face and the smell and sound of the sand and ocean takes over your senses. Oh, it is truly heaven on earth.
Three years ago, I didn’t understand any of this.
“ISLAND + TIME: The art of living at a rhythm that allows both work and life to flow smoothly. Finding natural momentum instead of forced urgency. Showing up in flip-flops with solid ideas. Answering when the beach calls. Standing with your face to the sun, arms slightly outstretched, welcoming the warmth. Heaven on earth.”
Tracy McCormick-Dishman, Coffee & Words
When I first arrived at my new job in Florida, I brought my corporate mindset with me: structured, scheduled, and timed to the minute. My boss quickly realized it was time for “the talk” – not about performance or expectations, but about island time. He advised me to slow down, take more beach walks, and really get to know the community. At first, I nodded politely, but inside I wondered how anything would get done at such a pace.
One of my first experiences with island time came during a community meeting in downtown Fernandina Beach set for 10 a.m. There I was at 9:50 a.m. sharp, looking into a dark meeting room, checking the room number and my watch. Ten minutes later, people started drifting in, flip-flops flopping, tanned faces wearing easy smiles. What I initially saw as tardiness turned into one of the most productive and enjoyable meetings I’d ever attended.
Author John Grisham wrote an ode to Amelia Island that captures it perfectly when he describes island life as “perfect for the kind of serious loafing that I have come to appreciate.” I didn’t understand that at first, but now I do. Island time isn’t about being lazy – it’s about finding a natural rhythm that allows both work and life to flow more smoothly.
It was several months before I truly flip-flopped into that rhythm. I remember walking into my boss’s office around the time of our regular Monday meeting, my face still red from not enough sunscreen during a weekend at the beach. He smiled and said, “Island time looks good on you.” The transformation was complete. My corporate background had taught me efficiency, but island time taught me something more valuable – that sometimes the best way to get things done is to stop rushing through them.
Yesterday on that walkover, I wasn’t learning island time anymore. I was living it.
The meeting with Haley wasn’t scheduled down to the minute – we both showed up “around” the time we’d agreed on. We didn’t rush through a checklist. We sat in the sun and let the conversation flow. And when the beach called afterward, I didn’t check my watch or feel guilty about “wasting time.” I answered.
That woman on the beach with her face to the sun? That’s who I dreamed of being for so many years. And now, that’s who I am. Everyday, soaking up as much as I possibly can.
These days, I smile at tourists who pause mid-crosswalk, mesmerized by where they have found themselves, too, ice cream cones dripping as they juggle shopping bags full of coastal treasures. I’m still that person and have no plans to stop exploring the coastal treasures all around me. The search for a parking spot has become less of a mission and more of an opportunity to enjoy the scenery.
It’s about exploring a walkover when the beach calls your name.
It’s about standing with your face to the sun, arms slightly outstretched, welcoming the warmth.
It’s about finding tables where you belong instead of shrinking yourself to fit elsewhere.
It’s about creating a life at a rhythm that’s sustainable, where solid ideas flow naturally and heaven on earth isn’t some distant destination – it’s right here, right now, right across the street.
My word stack for today:
Island + Time
island, [ahy-luhnd] noun, Origin: Old English igland Where sand, ocean, and palm trees become home. Where the beach calls your name and you answer.
time, [tahym] noun, Origin: Old English tima A relaxed rhythm where schedules bend, presence matters more than clocks, and life flows at natural pace.
These mugs are part of our Coffee Stories collection – word stacks inspired by my personal journey shared in these posts. Each memoir piece becomes a stackable memory you can hold in your hands. Start your own collection and create combinations that speak to your journey.
Shop My Island Time:
A few things that help me live on island time:
☀️ Beach Towel – [Amazon Link] – Always ready in my car for when the beach calls
🩴 Reef Flip-Flops – [Amazon Link] – The official footwear of island time meetings
📚 Beach Read – [Amazon Link] – Because serious loafing requires good company
🎵 Coastal Playlist – [Spotify/YouTube link] – Bossa nova jazz meets ocean waves
Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. I only share products I actually use and love!
