A Welcome Reprieve
We have had a break in the constant rainy weather of the past few weeks, but this was the first clear day that dawned with no wind. My dog was in desperate need of a bath and I was in desperate need of a walk in the sun, so off we went to walk on the beach.
There was a light haze in the air, it was upwards of 60º out, and still too early for most people to figure out that the beach was the place to be. I wore jeans and a light t-shirt, and vacillated between being speechless with pleasure as my skin soaked up the sun and being in shock that I was walking around in February without a jacket, scarf and hat.
We watched set after set of translucent sea-green breakers curl perfectly into foaming surf. Up the beach a group of wetsuited surfers emerged from their cars and one by one paddled out to meet the morning waves. I gave over some mementos of my dead friend to the ocean, which accepted them wordlessly in a single surge.
We left, and headed for the backyard where Vince got a thorough bathing and an even more thorough brushing. I may be able to go more than a day without sweeping dog hair off the floor now.
Everything feels changed, and yet it is all still the same. Such are the cracks we slip through on our way from one season to the next, one phase of life to another. This year feels full of hope to me. Last year was hard, and this one may be too, but there is a lighter quality to it already, a buoyancy that I never felt last year.
May it be so, may the churning waters of time carry us lightly through the year to come. All praises to the sea, the sky, the sun, and those who dwell within, above, between.
February 11th, 2008 at 2:30 am
‘Everything feels changed, and yet it is all still the same. Such are the cracks we slip through on our way from one season to the next, one phase of life to another. This year feels full of hope to me. Last year was hard, and this one may be too, but there is a lighter quality to it already, a buoyancy that I never felt last year.’
I love this – it echoes my feelings exactly.