Living near the beach is wonderful, the tang of salt air, the whisper of the gulls as they swoop down the street. But it also makes it a great place for many other people to visit. Finding your Zen on a crowded promenade is difficult.
Even in gale force winds the promenade can be crowded with walkers. As we heavily bundled walkers pass, we greet each other and the wind whips our clothing, while covering us from head to toe with sea spray.
By the time you have nodded to 20 or so people who are as equally determined to find their own space, the novelty of the wind runs sour.
So that's why anytime the tide is out is a great time for me. The lure of all that unblemished sand just waiting to mold my footprints, and the sea birds are much easier to greet.
Here, on the actual beach, past the railway tracks that mirror the surf, I can find the quiet that I love.
Keeping my eyes down, helps in the sea glass hunt, and when I wish to gaze meditatively I can do so across a great expanse of water.
Unfriendly? No. Just needing some down time, some Zen in my life. A refill, time with the wind, the tide, the surf, and myself.
And there are times when I like my company better than those sharp elbowed power walking, energizer bunnies on the promenade.
I get it. We all need this special time. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteJen I am with you... but giving you tons of space. I love the solitude along the shore. The sounds and sky... nothing like it for cleansing and peace. I have to drive three hours... lucky you! Lovely photos! Beautiful! Carol
ReplyDeleteWe all need our own space sometimes. The sea is a wonderful zen place of peace... Such wonderful photos too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place to escape to.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a nice weekend Jen.
And the sea glass, is that a craft project in the making?
ReplyDeleteI am one who needs alone time...nice post Jen. I received the most BEAUTIFUL cards in the mail yesterday!! I was so surprised...Thank you so much, I cannot wait to use them. Seriously, just beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have a beach nearby as a quiet retreat. While on vacation a few years ago my favorite thing was to get up really early and go sit quietly on the beach as the sun was waking up and filling the sky with color. Listening to the quiet surf does recharge the spirit!
These ar beautiful shots Jen! Awesome! Love it!
ReplyDeleteJen girl .. I understand also what you mean (maybe we "gardeners" and associates of gardeners ?) need that special time more than other people .. especially those idiot power walkers ?
ReplyDeleteI miss the sea terribly .. even though we are near Lake Ontario .. a lake is never going to replace the sea ..
Wonderful pictures girl ! .. I can almost smell the air ? ;-)
Joy
This Ozarks gal is absolutely in awe of your lovely pictures. It looks like the perfect place for some quiet time.
ReplyDeleteYa'll have just a wonderfully blessed day filled with many quiet moments!!!
I understand your "refil time" completely, having lived a stone's throw from the beach all my life. You become part of that eternal rhythm when you live by the sea and alone time becomes a necessity, not a luxury. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing back wonderful memories of being on the beach as a child. I did love walking on the wet sand and seeing my footprints and the sense of peach it brought. I need to schedule a trip to the coast :-)
ReplyDeleteI've gotta have alone time or I'll go mental. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteDo you find beach glass?!? I would love to collect some of that. Perhaps I'll venture down your way and do some scouting around. On a much warmer day. And, I promise to give you your space.
The sea glass is just something that I started to look for. I first found it last summer when walking on the beach with my niece. She had reached a milestone in her life, and it seemed fitting that we found so much of it on that day.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the surf line, and take your time you can find it more often than not. I love to save the pieces, they always invoke special memories for me.
This will be my ocean, when we move up country.
Jen
Perfection is being alone on the beach with just the birds, zen by definition. You are lucky to have a special space to soak up those negative ions, in peace.
ReplyDeleteFrances
You've just reminded me that I need to go to the beach!
ReplyDeleteHere, I tend to head for the hills (or up to the top of the garden!)but I love a solitary walk along a deserted beach.......
I would love to walk on the beach..you are lucky! I love the sounds..I could get lost for hours..and never want to leave. We all need time alone..alas now it is winter..alone time can only be found in the bathroom:)
ReplyDeleteSplendid isolation!
ReplyDeleteBravo Jen
Beautiful.
Rob
What a wonderful place to feel centered and find peace...gail
ReplyDeleteBeautiful thoughts and photos, Jen ... my head is with yours. I love being near water (grew up on Lake Huron) and when not near, my head always is!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures of the water are beautiful... it looks like quicksilver. There is something so soothing and mesmerizing about the ocean water.
ReplyDeleteYour words are beautiful. I feel as though I walk with you down the sandy shores. Don't have anything like that here. Just COLD!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
You got me scuba sick now. I feel the need for a dive!
ReplyDeleteEs mi primera a tu blog y me ha gustado mucho.
ReplyDeleteLa paz que se desprenden de ellas nos hacen querer visitarlas.
Felicidades.
Know what you mean about those "energizer bunnies on the promenade" and how much we need that down time on the shore to look for beach glass or pottery shards. I just created a mosaic with beach pottery this weekend from shards collected on Vancouver Island beaches. Love these shards ground down by waves and beach. I couldn't live anywhere else now.
ReplyDelete