My latest sinus infection having run its course, I am finally back to my norm of my daily walk along the beach and in the surf. There is something about searching for seashells that calms the spirit. This morning the little birds were not very wary of me, and mostly went about their business. I think they are a little calmer after tourist season. So I waded further out in the surf, and thought...
Briefly I thought about the upcoming election and what it may mean for this nation. As important as the issues being voted on and the people being elected, this topic was only entertained a second, then it was gone with the wave washing back out to sea. There are issues closer to home. For instance, Child B is at this very moment seriously contemplating marriage. Child A, in the meantime, is starting a new job. One child is embarking on a new career; the other is seriously contemplating a new life. But there is a nice shell at my feet...
I started walking again, examining my latest treasure. It was a nice shell but similar to many others I had. I cast it to Mr. Neptune and began chasing a large blue crab that was dancing around at my feet. The crab was twice the size of my fist and was definitely open for business. I danced with him briefly, but when the crab went for my big toe, I decided to seek my fortune in points further from the angry crustacean. A seagull on the shore was too comfortable to fly away as I passed by in the waves.
As I continued my search for seashells, I saw in the ebb and flow of the waves, the times of my life. As the new waves roll onto the shore, new things are deposited, new life experiences. At the same time, the older waves flow back into the sea, taking a part of the beach with them, a part of my life that I will never have again. It is not bad, in fact most of the things cast upon the beach are good things, good times and happy experiences. Part of our lives are washed out to sea each passing day we are on this earth. And again, it is not all bad...in fact, even though we age every day, that aging process is leavened by the many experiences and people that are parts of our lives...
I saw a sand dollar! As I dug it out of the wet sand, I realized that it was broken. Most of the fragile shell was long lost at sea. How I wanted a whole sand dollar, yet it was beautiful, just this piece I held in my hand, as the sun, filtered by the nearly clear water, shown golden. The sand dollar fragment was painted a beautiful gold as well, and that moment I held real gold. I let the prize fall back to the ocean floor and continued...my distant Jeep growing slowly larger on the shore as I moved through the foam. I had to think for a moment how fortunate I have been to accomplish my rather simple dream of living on the beach. There were so many ways it could have worked out differently...wait, there it was! The big prize! The mother lode! A beautiful orange and pink conch...The Treasure!
I nearly dived into the surf, scaring one of the sandpipers that was lazily trotting ahead of me. I grabbed the conch shell as though I thought someone behind me might take it! But when I pulled it out of the water....oh no! The conch had broken to pieces in the surf, leaving just enough of the shell intact to look like the find of the month. I was so disappointed...but just for a moment. Just like in life, there may be a very great treasure of some sort, that in the end turns out to be a broken shell. Yet the sun still shown through the water, bathing the wet sand in gold, and painting my spirit in bright sunshine...
Searching for seashells...you never know what you will find...in the water...or about yourself. If you ever get a chance to wade in the surf in search of some treasure...or yourself...I certainly recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment