A recent beach trip with my daughter and one of her dear friends provided some much needed relaxation, along with some wonderful laughter as memories were made. Each morning, I would wake fairly early and hit the beach for a long walk, as walking on any beach is one of my favorite things to do. The peacefulness of time alone…. earbuds in place, music going, flip flops thrown somewhere in the sea grass for me to find later, and off I go. I always start my walk with a prayer. Just a silent talk with God in my head as I start through the sand, along the edge of the water so that each wave covers my feet. It’s almost like I feel as though God is waiting for me to say Hello….because once my feet hit the sand, once I see the ocean….I always feel closer to Him. It’s like He’s saying, “here you are again….enjoying one of my most beautiful and amazing creations. Let’s talk.”
After that prayer, I get down to business with the main source of entertainment on these beach walks….people watching. I absolutely love to watch people. I study them. I am entertained by their behaviors and their choices. I’m also curious. Curious as a cat. I see people laughing…some seem truly happy and others look as though the laughter is forced. Forced through pain or sadness. I see couples holding hands, and I see others who are more intrigued with their phones than they are the person they are with. I see children who seem to be having the best day of their life, and I see others crying because a wave just washed their sandcastle away. I see people of all ages, all stages of life. The only thing they all have in common, that I’m aware of, is that they all happen to be here on the same beach as me. That’s probably it. There’s probably not one other thing that every single one of them have in common…other than the fact that we’re all human.
As I walk early in the morning, I see that everyone seems to have a goal…a purpose. I notice that a huge percentage of the early morning beach goers are shell collectors. This fascinates me, as I have absolutely no interest in collecting shells. But others are spending their entire morning bent over looking at each new crop that every wave brings in. Tiny, stone like shells, being sorted through by the hands of many…looking for the ones that pass inspection, for the ones they will take with them. I often wonder what these avid collectors do with their shells once they are home. Are they placed in a glass jar to live on the fireplace mantel? Are they used for a craft project? What happens to them? I’ll never know.
If I postpone my walk to later in the afternoon, I notice the shell gatherers are gone and the fisherman have arrived. Tons of tall poles, stuck into the ground with the lines protruding out into the water. The people wait. They sit with their poles and watch their lines, waiting for a catch, unknowing if it will be something to throw back, or something to keep. Kinda like online dating.
As I keep walking, I see that everyone has a purpose….something they have come here for. Some are looking for that perfect shell while others wait for the catch of the day. Some are seeking sun, as they lay there angled just right, under the heat of the rays, striving to leave even more suntanned than they arrived. Others are seeking shade, avoiding those same sun rays, as they fight against the sand to get their umbrella set up just right.
Some are walking like me, or even running–maybe just for exercise, trying to get in their goal number of steps for the day, or maybe just craving a bit of alone time. Some are working on their creations, as they work the sand–adding the right amount of water to create their castle, using all of the buckets and shovels and other castle creating materials they’ve brought along.
Some are watching their children play, some are struggling to calm their children as they cry. Some are swimming, far out into the water, as others barely walk in to their knees, jumping at every little touch against their legs.
Some are looking….for a woman, apparently–from some of the looks I got throughout my time there (bless their hearts)….or for something else. I imagine that many are looking for peace…for healing, as the ocean seems to always help. Many of them should be looking for a bit more clothing to wear…but that’s their business, I suppose. We all know that we’re going to see a lot of skin at the beach….and that can be good, or very, very bad.
Some are seeking adventure, as the skies stay full of parasailers being pulled behind boats, and others are seeking rest and relaxation….perhaps using the only vacation time they’re given all year to be here, hoping the weather cooperates as they rejuvenate.
Everyone has a goal….something they are looking for, hoping to see, hoping to catch, hoping to get. Whether it be a suntan or that perfect shell. Whether it be some extra rest or some great seafood. Whether it be a great time with the kids, or an escape without them.
And that transfers to life in general….at the beach, in the city, in the slums or the most expensive penthouse in town….whoever you are, wherever you are, you have a goal. We often get so busy in our day to day routine that we forget what the goal is. The only goal becomes going to work, making that paycheck, surviving, and doing the same old daily stuff as every other day. It often takes a vacation to get your mind off of those mundane tasks…even for a few days, sometimes just for a few hours.
What’s your goal? Is it to make more money for more vacations? Is it to retire? Spend more time with your kids? Keep looking for the perfect “sea shells”– which could be people, material things, experiences…..what ARE your perfect sea shells? What IS your perfect catch as you fish in the sea??
We all have goals…even though we may go days or weeks at a time without thinking about them. Because life gets in the way. Life gets too busy. But they are there…I promise. Dig deep and find them. Find your goals. Write them down…hang a list on the fridge….mark them off as you achieve them. If weeks and months go by before anything gets marked off that list, you’re too busy. You’ve forgotten to pick up those sea shells and find that perfect spot to fish, so to speak. Slow down.
Slow….
down.
God bless all the beachgoers and those who’ve never seen the sea.
God bless you…. and God bless me.
Kickin' & Screamin' 