Shore Love

Shore Love

What is it about the beach that makes life seem so simple, yet so breathtakingly beautiful all at once? Perhaps it’s the very first step you take there, the moment you sink your feet into the soft granules of sand that makes you feel peaceful immediately, its warm, earthy texture assuring you that you are well-grounded, you are home. Or maybe it’s the aquamarine vastness of the sea and sky, both so far apart, and yet so similar in their other worldliness, that suddenly seems to make all your problems disappear into thin air.

When you take a whiff of the strong, crisp salty air, you find yourself slowly letting your breath out, easing all the sore kinks in your body. It’s Nature’s best form of aromatherapy, immediately relaxing and rejuvenating you. It works best with your eyes shut. When you open your eyes, make sure you register the entire vista of the beach.

For beaches have parallel lines of color on each side, a rich, heart-warming gold on one side, the hue of Mum’s freshly baked cake, and, a deep, mysterious turquoise on the other, full of intriguing, unexplained secrets, the waves swirling invitingly.

Look down, and the sand is spotted with an infinite number of things- pink-and-white speckled shells, slimy green seaweed cruising in with each passing wave, the occasional starfish lazing in the snowy foam, its arms nonchalantly waving in the air, driftwood, crabs, you name it. The sand is just as mystifying as the sea on the other side, its layers providing shelter for those who wish to keep to themselves, away from the glare of the sun.

The wet, sticky sand receives the waves rushing in. It’s perfect for building sand sculptures, castles, pits, dams, you name it. To let go of all your principles of hygiene, to dig in with your fingers and feel the gooey moistness collect in your hands is to let go completely of any stress, anything that causes you to hold back. And then, of course, is the sea itself.

All you have to do is to wade in the water, and the waves do the rest, beckoning you, pulling you in to taste the sharp tang of the salty water. When you duck your head in the water, and open your eyes, you literally experience a whole, new (although somewhat blurry) world.

You are immersed in ever-changing shades of blue; you enjoy solitude of a different kind. All round you, everything is silent, and yet life exists here. Brightly colored fish gently wave their fins, as though welcoming you into their world. Here and there, in the ocean bed, if you can just manage to spot them, are the spiky black sea-urchins, happily nestled in the sand. Rocks, when lifted, disclose aquatic plants, so different from the ones on land, fleshy and weird, all dressed in exotic apparel. The sea world fascinates you with its ‘live and let live’ policy, of minding its own business in the midst of busy surroundings world, something that you wish would be followed back where you live, too.

Pop your head out of the water, lest you die with too much to see and too little to breathe. Right now, you can do anything you like, float lazily with the waves, with an I-don’t-care smirk on your face, or you could swim back and indulge in some delicious Popsicles, kick butt at beach football and have Frisbee fun with your dog. The beach is your hideaway, your zone, where you bring out the vibrant person in you. Lean back, and enjoy.