Beach Stories

As I’ve mentioned in a couple of blogs I love living by Port Phillip Bay and its surprisingly pristine shores. Visiting the beach also offers plenty to see and think about. Here are three occasions that made me really stop and think.

  Last year on a very hot night I finished work and headed down to the beach as, after a stunning sunset, the last light was fading from the western sky.  The air was very still and the full moon, over the bay unusually early, was beautifully reflected in the calm sea. Some young people were twirling fire sticks near the water’s edge, the flashing fire-light bouncing back from the glassy surface. The whole effect was magical but as I walked down the beach taking in the scene I saw a couple sitting on low beach chairs not talking to each other or looking around but totally engrossed in their ipads. It stopped me in my tracks and I felt like going up and saying’ “What, you’ve found a better sunset-moonrise on there?” 
Memo to Self: Be Present and don’t Miss out on the Magic.

  I love to watch children play on the beach where they tend to be in their element with the combination of sea, sand and freedom. A couple of years ago I watched a wee girl of maybe 4 having a wonderful time digging a hole in the sand and then carting water in a bucket up from the sea to ‘fill’ the hole. It mattered not that the water seeped into the sand as quickly as she brought it up. The whole time she sang at the top of her voice, at one point breaking into “Hey, Sexy lady’ as she pranced down to the breaking waves doing a very good 'Gangnam style' dance, with one hand held out in front and the other in the air twirling the bucket. 
Memo to Self: Be Yourself and Have Fun.

  Finally, one day this Summer I had time between clients, to go for a swim. It was a 38 degree day and the water was gloriously refreshing. Off out in the middle of the bay dark thunder clouds were rumbling towards the city. Flashes of lightning lit up their giant bellies and reflected in the steely grey water below. In closer to the shore the water was luminous green and just beginning to stir from flat calm with the approaching storm. As I sat on the beach watching flocks of seagulls fly low across the white sand I had a sudden thought. “What if this is the most beautiful planet, the most beautiful of all places in the Universe? What if that is the pay off, the sweetener for coming here to the Earth school to grow, learn and struggle?” 
Memo to Self: Notice and Engage with Beauty
Memo to us all: Protect this Planet!!!

Sunset off Edithvale Beach Dec 2014