A Walk On The Beach

      I am currently in Myrtle Beach South Carolina visiting my ailing step-father. As I waited to go see him yesterday I suggested to my friend Tim who was accompanying me that we kill an hour or two by going to take a walk on the beach.

       At first I gave my own suggestion no thought. I have walked on the beach a thousand times, because most of life has been lived near the ocean save the last 8 years. Yet it was like an automatic reflex of something that I had to do, especially while visiting a town with “BEACH” in its name.

       Why this call to water? Is it some draw back to my primordial roots? Is it just to enjoy something I now don’t get to see every day? Is it to take in the vastness and the grandeur of the scene? For as far as you can see and as far as you can imagine there is water, water and more water.

       Whatever the reason, there is the anticipation of getting there. When will you see it? What curve will you round where it will come into view? The first a glimpses of it will come most likely between buildings or maybe through a tree line that has a break in it. It will sneak back behind the obstruction and you instinctively will be on high alert waiting for the next glimpse. The closer you get they become more and more frequent. Finally it comes into full view and you feel a sense of release. Your mind immediately shifts focus now to where you can park to take in this vast beauty? 

       Finally you are settled into a parking spot and you make your way over the dunes on to the strand. You take extra effort to walk through the sugar sand to get to the part of the stand that is firm and flat and where your tracks are delicately marked and quickly washed away by the onrushing tide. You perform a dance with the water. You get as close to it as you can without letting it touch your shoes, or your feet if you are barefooted. The wind is always present. Nothing is obstructing any currents coming off the ocean. It whistles in your ear and envelopes you with its feel and force. The waves roll on to the strand at a steady rhythm creating a meditative backdrop that seems to wash away every thought. Your cares melt away with every step. You walk to the beat of your heart and the waves that are in synch with one another. You sift through the shells looking for ones that catch your attention and maybe pocket a few to take home to family and friends. Shifting your focus to over the horizon and imagine what is just beyond the point you can see and imagine how far out could you swim? Twenty minutes one way and then turn around and twenty minutes back to your point of origin. You now have exercised and meditated all at the same time. You feel refreshed and renewed.

       With all its grandeur and the all-encompassing experience it provides, it’s no wonder that people feel that connection with the beach, even if they may not fully understand why in the moment.

What is your favorite beach?