There is something very seductive about the idea of the living by the sea. Most people yearn to live by the beach, be able to go to the sea whenever they want to. The seaside is associated, from childhood, with holidays, freedom and fun. I remember from the very first pictures books I would look through as a very young girl, the sea pictures were always the best. Sandcastles, ice creams, never ending days. Inspiration.
And in my experience it's true. All my years at out beloved sea house were pure bliss. I don't remember a moment of feeling bad at the sea. It didn't seem possible. With a garden to the sea, rocks, waves, sitting on the beach with a picnic and my sister, going for trips in the canals on our boat. Collecting shells. And who can forget that first body surf rush. There is something in the air when you are close to the ocean.
But after a few weeks, you inevitable head back to reality. And all the mundane everyday life aspects, admin, school, homework, daily routine, are resumed. But the sea you leave behind has the allure of the unordinary. It's a different story when you actually live by the sea, especially in a town known more as a holiday destination. the everyday stuff is all around, combined with the ocean feel. It's quite a contrast. there are days when you're tired and driving your child to school and your younger child is sick and you've had a wart cut out of your finger which keeps going septic, when you don't even notice the ocean, not once. the thought of going to the beach to swim or for a walk seems totally ridiculous. You feel the same way you would in a big city, just another day....
But the past two days I had a little attitude adjustment, because I said to Hennie when we heard we were moving back here from Windhoek, let's not forget where we live this time. Let's do the holiday stuff, let's go for sundowner's next to the sea, let's go to the beach with the kids most weekend, let's go for a walk every day rain or shine. We shouldn't forget out bodyboarding, our wetsuits, his diving for crayfish. And realistically it's not possible every day. That's crazy. Some days just need to be trudged through and gotten over with. But I decided to walk next to the beach the pastt two mornings. And look at the ocean. This astounding force of life with the biggest heartbeat in the world. Covering the majority of our planet. With areas man cannot even reach. Like vast space, it makes one feel the grain of sand feeling. How short and small our passage on this remarkable earth is. The bigger system at play. It is humbling and soul enriching and adrenaline giving all at once. I looked out across the great Atlantic towards the west the south and the north with no interruption. And i saw the rock pools. Like the rock pool from my childhood. A world under the water. Everything looks beautiful submerged by water. And peaceful. I was as mesmerised this moring as I was twenty five years ago at the St Francis Bay beach. A world in a pool. Beautiful, consistent, dignified. I will look at rock pools more often.
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