Brought up by the sea makes me a very lucky girl. The beach is where I spent all my free time. I would leave the house at 7 or 8 in the morning and be down there most of the day. Whether it be alone or with my friends, I could always be found by the sea.
Now a grown-up, not much has changed. If I have free time, that is where I head. When the weather turns, my first thought is how it will be by the coast. We should go, we will be missing out on amazing things. The clouds are better. The air is better. The storms are way better. When I was little, that was the most exciting part of living within walking distance of the beach. We would watch the dark clouds roll in and within minutes trek down to the sea to watch the waves reach over the walls and onto the road, soaking on-lookers and cars. To feel the spray hitting my cheeks. None of this ” oh it’s too cold” or “we’ll get wet”………That was the whole point. Feeling those things does something to your soul.
We have to drive to the beach now. But we still go regularly. And we always go to ‘our’ beach, because everyone I speak to has their own bit of coast, their favourite spot, and it’s beyond my comprehension that it’s different to where I go………I mean, my spot is the best! (say us all). And my girls seem to get it too. They love rock pooling with me……..Mr H walks the perimeter while I, closely followed by my shadow or my children, trace my steps from one safe rock to another, checking each pool for something alive, turning stones, poking with sticks. Mostly silent too, like we are all completely in the moment, something there is not enough of in this fast and crazy world we live in. Walking along the shore to the sound of the waves ebbing to and fro, almost like each time the wave goes out it takes away some of my stresses and restores me with each wave that comes in. I really do believe the sea has healing powers, the smell, the sound……they both do things to your soul that nothing else can.
So I urge you all. Go for a drive and find a stretch of coast and walk and take it all in. Breathe it deep into your soul and you will feel the magic happen and you will never want to let it go.
