Sea and Surf, Small Adventures
“The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sounds of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.” Henry Beston, naturalist and author of The Outermost House
Do you remember the first beach you ever saw when you were a little person? Do you remember how it made you feel? My most precious small adventures are memories of the feel of damp sand under my feet, the sound of waves, and the smell of the sea.
My grandparents took us as children to Coney Island. We raced bumper cars, tumbled through moving barrels and stuffed ourselves on Nathan’s hot dogs. We walked on a beach so crowded that noisy families were almost nose to nose. We loved it!
Years later, during the coldest winter ever, my best friend confessed she’d never been to Ocean City, Maryland, a few hours away. I bled for Carolyn’s deprivation. I wheedled, begged and sold her on going the very next day! We spent the day wandering a freezing cold deserted beach – well, deserted except for six people and one large dog.
Later, we rented beat up old houses in Ocean City, Md. and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for two weeks each summer. Once, Carolyn and I took my eight year old youngster and his classmate with us. Each day they got $1.00 allowance. They seriously discussed when to spend their dollars – and how to get more. We later learned they spent hours daily searching every telephone/game money slot on the boardwalk. They found enough to spend their last day at the miniature golf course, feeling they said, like Big Shots.
I was alone on Sanibel Island, Florida, right after a huge storm hit the Island. It sent miles of seaweed and shells from the deep ocean in to us. We all spent weeks in the Sanibel Stoop, bent over searching the thick seaweed for rare and beautiful shells.
To me, there’s no beach like an American beach.
Meditation for the Day
“Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” Robert Henri
Action for the Day
Today, I’ll consider small adventures. One day away from my usual life is a mini vacation. Where are my favorite sights and smells? Wherever they are, I can spend even just a few hours there and I will come back refreshed and feeling new again.
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