At the Beach

I’ve been giving some thought to things I have said in the past I don’t like. I used to think that I didn’t like the beach. When I was a child my family and I frequently visited Sarasota in July to visit my uncle. It was always in the high nineties and the sand would burn my feet. My siblings seemed to have a good time, but I was apathetic. My family and I took a beach trip last year and for the first time, I enjoyed being close to the water. I didn’t spend much time on the beach but I did spend a lot of time biking around Destin and looking at the water. Being near the ocean and feeling the breeze was intoxicating. We also took a sunset dolphin cruise which was my favorite part of the trip. Being on the gulf coast, the water was crystal clear. We were about a mile off the coast and it was ten feet deep. I could see straight down to the sandy bottom. We were able to see the dolphins clearly in the aqua water. I’ve fixated on marine biology for years. I can remember filling a notebook with facts on marine biology as a child. I would watch documentaries for hours and hours about whales. I found it frustrating that I couldn’t enjoy the beach which was the closest to the ecosystem I loved so much. After going to Destin last May, I was open to the idea that the beach wasn’t the problem. The problem had been the time of year and the temperature during that time of year.

This past weekend I went to St. George’s Island for the first time. I was used to crowded beaches and this was a welcome change. It was an overcast day and there weren’t many people there. On the drive over, I spotted a dolphin’s dorsal along the rocky shoreline. It was peaceful and meditative to see waves crash on the shore. Afterward, we went to a restaurant that sits close to the water. The food was great and peaceful. I’m starting to wonder how many other things I’ve written off but I would like it if I have it another try, just changing the setting. I hope to discover more things that I enjoy in the future. The key for me is to remove the sensory triggers that make an experience unenjoyable.