Beach Days

I know some of you may be thinking….beach days?  Now? Summer’s over.  Beach time is done!

Despite the fact that it’s September and school has started, summer isn’t over yet (although the official start of Autumn is close at hand!!!).  And, I’m not really a “beach in the dead of summer” kind of person anyway.  The heat, the humidity = an unhappy me!

Spring and Fall are actually my favourite times of year for the beach.  It’s usually quiet, it’s cool enough for me to enjoy it, and it has the effect that I want the most from the beach – to recharge my batteries.

A week or so ago, I headed off late one Saturday afternoon to Port Stanley, a small beach town on the shores of Lake Erie.  I timed it so that I would be there in time to enjoy the sunset.  It was lovely – just me and the seagulls.

At first, I spread out a blanket and sat down to stare at the water lapping against the shore and do some soul searching.  I feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my life and there are some changes I want to make. I needed some quiet time alone, outside in the sunshine and fresh air.  I needed the renewal that time by the water can bring.

After some tears – the good cleansing kind – I headed out for a walk along the beach.  It was almost a meditative experience.  I just let my mind get lost in the play of light and shadow across the sand as the sun began to set….in the tracks of the seagulls as they scurried over the beach….in the laughter of some children who had arrived with their dad to play at water’s edge….in the rise and fall of the canoes and other boats floating on the lake.

A feeling of peace and serenity washed over me.  As I walked away from the beach, I left behind those things in the past I needed to part ways with and I felt ready to embrace my future.  I celebrated with dinner at the wharf as I watched the final moments of the sun setting behind the trees.