Life's a Beach (And One Year Blogiversary)

You know you've perhaps left the regular world behind when a truck turns in front of you that has a shark jaw attached to the grille. Other signs surface, too: throngs of people are walking, not at the strident city pace, but more at a languid stroll; traffic has slowed to well below the speed limit; most drivers' windows are down; and surfboards crown car tops.

At the final turn, as the expanse of the beach opens fully, you are again taken by how the sky and the surf team together and push the horizon almost out of sight.

The sand welcomes each footstep's tattoo. Already, the transformations have begun. A man whose recumbent silhouette matches that of a Volkswagen Beetle proves surprisingly agile when lofted upwards on a kite board. Two women whose bikinis have been overrun by that which they should contain do not provoke stares or giggles. They walk comfortably in the ebb, deep in conversation. An elderly man and woman each grasp a hand of the chubby, copper haired toddler between them, the baby slathered in white layers of sunscreen like mayo on a hamburger bun.

Sea gulls and grackles compete for the title of jester, each group daring the other to more outlandishly bold antics. Their calls blend with the comforting clamor of the waves.

Those waves strain to reach further across the sand, all bluster and fury until their gentle denouement into the shore. Breaking with an unforced, ancient rhythm that began when God Himself first stirred the waters, their cadence seeps into you. Your heart rate calms and steadies, and the herkey-jerky thought patterns of the work world even out in harmony with the majestic pounding under you.

The sun has warmed your body and is now steeping your soul, relentlessly illuminating every dark nook and niche.


Your eyes close and the crisp saltiness of the air plunges through your sinuses, cleansing and opening, inviting in the cool Gulf breezes.

Life is indeed a beach.


This is my one year blogiversary. Thank you all for so graciously reading, commenting, and sharing in my life. I was only going to do this one month...I'm like the guest who comes  to visit and won't leave!